WATCH: Sunil Chhetri Announces Pregnancy With Goal Celebration After Scoring Against Vanuatu At Intercontinental Cup 2023

Sunil Chhetri picked the ball and put it inside his jersey announcing that he is soon-to-be a father.

More than the goal, it was Chhetri's celebration that stole the limelight in India's Intercontinental Cup match against Vanuatu on Monday (June 12).

Source : Screengrab From Twitter/@IndianFootball

Sunil Chhetri, star Indian football player and one of the greatest ever to have represented India at the international level, gave a pleasant surprise to his fans when he announced that he and his wife are expecting a baby. He did so in style with a unique celebration after netting a goal in India's match against Vanuatu in the Intercontinental Cup 2023. Chhetri's goal was the difference between the two sides as India registered a 1-0 win over their opponent.

The match, which was played at the Kalinga Stadium on June 12, saw Chhetri produce a moment of brilliance as his 81st minute strike put India in the lead. What followed was rather unexpected as after the goal, Chhetri picked the ball and put it inside his jersey announcing that he is soon-to-be a father. His celebration stole the limelight and a video of his left-footed goal followed by the celebration was shared by the official handle of the Indian football team.

Here is the clip:

.@chetrisunil11's left footed finish takes the #BlueTigers 🐯 to the #HeroIntercontinentalCup 🏆 FINAL 💙😍#VANIND ⚔️ #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/1n081IsM4I

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 12, 2023

With six points from two wins, India are currently on top of the table. They play Lebanon on Thursday in their last round-robin league match. Prior to their win over Vanuatu, India had beaten Mongolia 2-0 in their opening match on Friday. In the initial period of the match, it was evident that the Indian national team, ranked 101st in the world, had the upper hand. They dominated possession, controlling the ball 62 percent of the time, and launched numerous attacking moves towards the opposition goal.

However, despite their offensive efforts, most of their attempts were not on target, resulting in missed opportunities. On the other hand, Vanuatu, ranked 164th globally, struggled to create any significant threats, failing to register a single shot on target during the first half. One promising highlight of the game was the performance of debutant Nandhakumar Sekar, who made a notable impact in the midfield.

He actively contributed to several attacking plays for the Indian team, displaying his involvement in the team's buildup. Nevertheless, despite their overall dominance, India squandered their best opportunity of the first half. Nandhakumar Sekar missed a clear chance in the 36th minute, failing to convert a well-executed through ball from Mahesh Naorem as his shot went wide of the target.

(With Inputs From PTI)