Sunil Chhetri now has more international goals than Lionel Messi, only behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo 
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Sunil Chhetri now has more international goals than Lionel Messi, only behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo

Chhetri, 36, is only second in the active international goalscorer record to Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who helped India win their first match in the FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Sunil Chhetri of India, who scored a brace in India's 2-0 win over Bangladesh in Doha on Monday, passed Lionel Messi of Argentina as the second-highest active international goalscorer with 74 goals.

The 36-year-old striker, who helped India win the FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers for the first time, is second only to Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (103) in active international goalscoring.


Sunil Chhetri scored twice in a 2-0 win over Bangladesh in the joint preliminary round match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Monday, giving India their first win in FIFA World Cup qualifiers in six years.


After Chhetri's 73rd goal in international football, a confident India advanced in the opponent half, and the move paid off for beleaguered coach Igor Stimac, as the captain scored his and the team's second right before the final whistle.

The equaliser did not materialise in the end, but India finished on a high note, giving their campaign a much-needed boost after a couple of failures.

Chhetri, the second top scorer in current international football, more than made up for his fumble in the 63rd minute, when the unmarked leader missed a free header after a beautiful pass from Brandon Fernandes.

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