Bengaluru FC skipper Chhetri: AFC Cup final is the most important match of my career
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Skipper Sunil Chhetri is counting on the support of the large Indian Diaspora in Doha when Bengaluru FC take on Iraqi club Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Air Force Club) in the final of the 2016 AFC Cup on Nov 5, a clash that the ace Indian striker has described as the biggest match of his career.
“Doha also has a large number of Malayalees and through Rino (Anto) and (CK) Vineeth, we are trying to reach out to them. We will try and get as many as we can (to the stadium). But what also works as motivation is that a lot of people are travelling from India. That is so amazing,” Chhetri told Hindustan Times.
“Bengaluru FC have become part of their lives. Some have quit jobs to travel. I don’t know how sensible that is, but it tells you as a player how big this has become.”
The club’s qualification to the final of the AFC Cup is the first by an Indian team in the prestigious competition and is easily one of the high points of contemporary Indian football. Winning the title would be a dream come true.
"Right now, we are very calm. We have had about six days of training after a two-day break following the semi-finals (the second leg was on Oct 19). The first message from the coach (Albert Roca) was that we must forget what has happened.
“When we were about to play the semis (against the defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim), we knew that was big. But he told us that being where no team from India has been might give us a sense of satisfaction. And he warned us to not get into that mood.
“There is a bigger prize to be won, he said. He was very harsh on the first day of training and that was good. He told us we haven’t achieved anything. The practice sessions have been intense. During the first four days of training, we analysed videos of our performance.
“We have now had one video session of theirs (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya) and we will do more of that over the next three-four days. But through all this, the coach simply keeps telling us to forget what we have done and think about the future."
The Indian captain stressed on the importance of strong defence in the final.
 “Generally when we play -- and this is without sounding cocky -- we have a lot of possession. We are usually the dominant side. In this game, we all have to come back and defend well. On paper, we are the underdogs. They are quite an attacking side. So, while we will not go into the match with a defensive mindset but, because of the way they play, we will have to come back and defend.”
The striker is cherishing his time with the club. “I am not thinking of going unless they throw me out. You can never say never in life but at the moment, I am not thinking beyond Bengaluru FC. This is family and I have been part of this from when it was established.”
