You wanted bedlam at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata as Sunil Chhetri reached the end of his international career but what he got was a low-key exit in many ways after a listless performance from the India national football team against Kuwait in a crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
When it all ended, Chhetri, for once, allowed his emotions to get the better of him.
He cried and so did his mother and fans in the stands as his watch ended. The silent guardian and watchful protector of the India national football team was now officially retired. But there was a moment, just after the final whistle blew when Chhetri wasn’t thinking about his farewell or retirement. He stood like a stone, gutted with the result as India’s historic chance to qualify for the third round of qualifiers almost went up in smoke.
And guess what, the Blue Tigers were guilty of committing the same wrongs that have seen them go on a winless streak since November 2023. In fact in seven matches since the away win against Kuwait last year, India have only drawn two and lost five.
In these matches except the Qatar game, frankly, the Blue Tigers have been guilty of not giving their best. At the biggest stage, the intensity, the cutting edge, the determination, and the desire have been missing for a few months.
Thursday was no different.
Almost 59,000 people turned up at the mecca of Indian football to give a fitting farewell to their favourite son. There were giant banners and tifos to celebrate the Chhetri and his contribution to Indian football.
One of the most iconic ones read: ‘Sonar Sunil. Tomay Hrid Majhare Rakhbo’ (Golden Sunil. Will keep you in my heart).
But heartbreak was not very far.
Kuwait, ranked 18 spots behind India on 139, was the best side for a large part of the first half and created some solid chances in the first few minutes. The first one came as early as in the fourth minute when India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had to make himself as big as possible to keep a Mohammad Daham effort out. In the 25th minute, Eid Alrashidi broke free from the offside trap for a chip that went over the bar.
In between and later there were dangerous crosses that were blocked by Gurpreet, while the Indian midfield consisting of Anirudh Thapa and Sahal Abdul Samad struggled to take control of the match.
Sample this, apart from having 52% ball possession in the first half, Kuwait’s majority of gameplay was weaved through the centre of the pitch while the number stood at around one-third for India. Now this is a West Asian side known for its physical presence but here they were stitching some seamless passes an finding gaps while Indians kept chasing the shadows.
The Al Azraq were winning all the second balls in the midfield while India relied on the right wing of Lallianzuala Chhangte to create opportunities but right-back Nikhil Poojary’s poor judgment didn’t help the cause.
The hosts did create some chances like a header from Anwar Ali flying over the bar while Liston Colaco hit the side netting but the interesting bit here is that India only had three shots on target in the whole match. Not just in the first half.
“It took us some time to gear up and start passing the ball into the danger zones, the general passing speed was our biggest problem tonight – it wasn’t good enough," India coach Igor Stimac said in the post-match press conference explaining India’s shortfalls. “Even in certain moments when we put pressure on them, there was no delivery to help the forwards.”
The uninspiring first half resulted in Thapa and Sahal being dumped to the bench at halftime time and Manvir Singh soon replaced Liston Colaco but Kuwait’s superiority continued.
Faisal Alharbi tested Gurpreet once again with a powerful volley from six yards and thankfully the Indian goalkeeper was in top form in Kolkata.
It was only towards the end, in the seven extra minutes, that India found their rhythm. Debutant Edmund Lalrindika showed some enterprising spirit to infuse new enthusiasm into the fans as the giant Salt Lake arena was abuzz again. But sadly it was a false dawn.
The match ended 0-0 and India are now on the brink of elimination. They are not out, not yet at least but their future is out of their hands. In the best case scenario, India have to hope for a draw between Afghanistan and Kuwait while also snatching a point away from Asian champions Qatar.
Can they do it?
It’s tough to be optimistic and say that anything is possible in sports. Because the India football team is stuck with the same problem.
They just don’t show enough intensity and hunger.
Exactly what is wrong is unclear because Stimac said before the match that the team was “ready”. He had constantly asked for longer camps ahead of crucial games and this time he got a three-week preparatory camp.
But in the post-match press conference, he didn’t shy away from admitting that Kuwait were far sharper and nippy while his players looked jaded.
Should he take all the blame for failing to produce results?
A coach has to, right? But a proud former footballer who won bronze with Croatia at the 1998 World Cup and made a name for himself in the English Premier League on the back of his fighting spirit wouldn’t stick his neck out and claim the Kuwait match was to be the “biggest” of his career. He had some confidence but nothing materialised.
Nonetheless, it’s no secret that he is on borrowed time unless India stun Asian giants Qatar. The real question, however, is will his departure be enough to turn around the fortunes of the Blue Tigers? Because the mystery surrounding their poor form is so dark that any guess is correct.
Disheartening as the result may be it was the end of a glittering career.
There was a lap of honour, a guard of honour and a felicitation ceremony as the whole stadium became emotional and the beacon of Indian football walked into the sunset.
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