Sahal came off the bench to score during injury time in India’s 2-1 win over the Afghans in a third-round qualifier for the Asian Cup on Saturday (June 11) at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium.
Vijayan feels Sahal’s winner will provide immense inspiration to the young followers of Indian football. The former striker, who hails from Kerala, said:
Sahal’s goal on Saturday was cheered on by more than 44,000 fans at the hallowed Salt Lake Stadium, where India are playing this tournament on home soil for the first time in more than two years. More spectators are expected to turn up for India’s final match against Hong Kong tonight.
India opened their Group D campaign with a 2-0 win over Cambodia where Sunil Chhetri scored a brace. Chhetri also scored the first goal against Afghanistan. Vijayan believes that the national team skipper still has a lot to contribute despite being 37 years old. An optimistic Vijayan said:
Chhetri has so far scored 83 goals for his national team, only three behind Argentina captain Lionel Messi. He’s currently placed third on the list of active international goal scorers. Vijayan, who played for India between 1992 and 2003 scored 29 goals.
India face Hong Kong in their final qualifying match tonight. Both teams are tied on six points. India need a victory to finish as group toppers. If that does not happen, the Blue Tigers will qualify for a second straight Asian Cup by virtue of being one of the top five second-placed teams in the six qualification groups across the continent.
Vijayan has also been impressed with defender Sandesh Jhingan’s role in marshalling the backline. He concluded:
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