Sunil Chhetri hails India's fighting spirit

Inspirational Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri on Thursday attributed the country's SAFF Championships triumph to the fighting spirit of the team while also lauding the support of the home fans.

India fought hard against two strong West Asian countries in Lebanon and Kuwait to beat them in penalty shootouts in the semifinal and final respectively and lift the title for the ninth time at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

The two teams were invited for the south Asian regional tournament to make it more competitive.

"One thing I can tell you about this team is (that) we fight," Chhetri, who was named the most valuable player of the tournament, said in a video uploaded on his Twitter handle.

"No matter what, we fight. No matter where we are playing, we fight. And no matter who we are playing with, we fight. We always do that," said Chhetri, who turns 39 next month.

Chhetri played all the 120 minutes in both the semifinal and the final. He scored in the penalty shootout also, taking the first kick on both occasions.

Chhetri, the tournament's top scorer with five strikes, was also effusive in his praise for the crowd who turned up in large numbers at the Kanteerava Stadium, his home venue in the Indian Super League, and the travelling home fans.

"Bangalore, you guys were special...The West Block (Blues). The East upper and lower, the North Stand, and even the South Stand. Special mention to the travelling Manjapadda, the Mariners, the Northeast (Highlander) Brigade, the East Bengal Ultras...all of you coming together and supporting us the way you did, was amazing.

"And let me tell you a small secret, the games against Lebanon and Kuwait weren't easy and if you weren't there, we wouldn't have got this (points to the trophy)," he said.

India are slated to participate in the King's Cup (Thailand) and the Merdeka Cup (Malaysia) in September and October respectively. Igor Stimac's side has gone unbeaten in 11 games on home soil in 2023, while winning seven of them, but they won't have it easy going ahead.

"I'm just telling you facts. If you guys weren't there and if not for the way you guys came and supported us, this wouldn't be there. Throughout this year, right from when we played (Tri-Nation Tournament) in Manipur to (Intercontinental Cup in) Odisha and now in Bangalore, the whole nation, everywhere we went, you guys were special," Chhetri said.

"I hope you understand how important you guys are. We are going to win some games and then we are going to lose some, but just to know that we are all in this together gives us a lot of hope...And I know where we have to reach is far and it is going to be difficult, but we will enjoy it together," he concluded.