Sunil Chhetri defends Anwar Ali for conceding 'own goal'; 'It can happen to anyone'

India and Kuwait had a thrilling encounter during the last match of the Group A tie of the SAFF Championship 2023 at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Tuesday. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Kuwait topping the group after an own goal from Indian centre-back Anwar Ali. 

3 things you need to know

• India are the defending champions of the SAFF Championship 2023 
• Sunil Chhetri is the top goalscorer so far with five goals 
• The Indian captain defends Anwar Ali’s mistake

India was the first to open the scoring during the added time of the first half, after a beautiful volley from Indian captain Sunil Chhetri as a corner was successfully taken, landing perfectly for the unmarked striker inside the box of Kuwait. 
Tensions in both camps rose in the second half as India's head coach was issued his second red card of the competition. In the 90th minute, Rahim Ali and Hamad Al Qallaf of Kuwait were also issued their marching orders.

Kuwait took the opportunity of the team that was mentally battling in the absence of their coach and found the equalizer in extra time of the second half after a low cross from the right wing deflected Anwar Ali’s leg, who was trying to clear it but failed to time the shot, leading to an own goal with Indian keeper Amrinder Singh having the ball out of his reach and hitting the back of the net. Sunil Chhetri commented on the unexpected loss of the country’s final group game.

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What did Sunil Chhetri say about the own goal by Anwar Ali?

India's captain, Sunil Chhetri, expressed his disappointment with the outcome of the match but stood firmly behind his teammate and defender, Anwar. Chhetri acknowledged that such errors can happen to anyone and emphasized that it was not solely Anwar's responsibility but a collective effort of the entire team. He assured Anwar that they all have his back and encouraged him to move past the mistake, highlighting that they are all professionals who understand that such incidents occur in football.

“It can happen to anyone. We didn't even talk about it now (after the game), and we are all professional enough to not talk about it. I hope the kid shrugs it off; we all have his back, as it can happen to anyone,” 

The captain went on to say that the squad didn't concentrate on technical errors, but focuses on their efforts. He used examples from his own life, recalling times when he missed goals and others committed mistakes that resulted in penalties. He showed trust in Anwar's ability to learn from his error and underlined that it was a collective effort, stressing that India conceded the goal, not Anwar alone. With 92 international goals to his name, Chhetri's opinion and support are highly valued inside the team.

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The Indian fans in attendance also expressed their support for Anwar Ali by screaming his name after the game. Sunil Chhetri recognised that the team executed their objectives successfully, but surrendering a goal in stoppage time was a tough pill to swallow. Regardless of the outcome, he believed they had done many excellent things throughout the game and looked forward to further analysing the game to get key insights for future progress.