Football
ISL: Player of the Week - Ageless Sunil Chhetri casts a spell
Chhetri demonstrated his consistency with a hat-trick that brought Bengaluru FC back to winning ways.
The hat-trick against KBFC this past Saturday was Chhetri's third in the ISL. (Photo Credit: ISL)
Sunil Chhetri may have turned 40, but he shows no sign of slowing down.
In the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season, the talismanic Indian forward has already scored eight goals and remains a strong contender for the Golden Boot Award.
At 40 years and 126 days, Chhetri etched his name in the ISL record books last week by becoming the oldest player to score a hat-trick in league's history against Kerala Blasters.
A hat-trick at home
His remarkable efforts not only brought Bengaluru FC back to winning ways after a 2-4 thrashing at the hands of Odisha FC but also demonstrated his consistency at the highest level.
Even in the defeat against Odisha FC, Chhetri found the back of the net.
And on Saturday, in the southern derby of ISL at the Kanteerava Stadium, the fortress of Bengaluru FC, he once again stood out, helping his side register a crucial win and keeping them level with Mohun Bagan SG at 23 points after 11 games.
By scoring this hat-trick against KBFC, Chhetri broke Bartholomew Ogbeche's record, who had achieved the feat for Hyderabad FC against FC Goa at the age of 38 years and 96 days back in January 2023.
The former India captain, who retired from international football in June 2024 after playing his last match for India against Kuwait, scored in the 8th, 73rd, and 90+8 minutes.
Chhetri's precision was on full display, with Bengaluru FC converting four of their five shots on target.
The duo of Chhetri and Ryan Williams, the other scorer for Bengaluru FC in the match, played pivotal roles in the win.
For Chhetri's first goal, Williams drove to the flank and delivered a precise cross, which Chhetri capitalized on with a quick run to open the scoring.
Williams then doubled the lead in the 38th minute with a curling shot.
In the second half, a rejuvenated Kerala Blasters drew level, with Jesus Jimenez in the 56th minute and Freddy Lallawmawma in the 67th minute scoring the goals.
However, Chhetri, in excellent form and hungry for goals, proved unstoppable for the Kerala Blasters' defence.
Chhetri equals Hume's record
Just six minutes after Lallawmawma’s equaliser, Chhetri combined with Jorge Pereyra DÃaz. The Argentine striker set up Chhetri with a precise pass, allowing him to breach the Kerala Blasters’ box and slot the ball home into the bottom left corner with his trusted right foot.
With Bengaluru FC leading 3-2, Chhetri continued pressing for more goals.
In added time, showing his positional awareness, Chhetri positioned himself in the centre of the box during a set-piece situation.
He then seized the ball and completed his hat-trick with another shot into the bottom left corner.
This was Chhetri's third hat-trick in the ISL. His first came in 2015 for Mumbai City FC, with the remaining two for Bengaluru FC (2018 and 2024).
With three ISL hat-tricks, Chhetri has now equalled Canada’s Ian Hume's record.
Chhetri, however, still has one record left to break - Ogbeche's record for the most hat-tricks in ISL history, which stands at four.
