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Sunil Chhetri has time and again showed why he is one of the most loved and adored footballers in India. Be it his heroics on the field or his heartwarming gestures off it, he has always found a way to the fans' hearts. On Thursday, yet again, his incredible gesture after the match won over the opposition fans as well as football fans all over India.
It was indeed a tough night for the Kerala Blasters fans, who had travelled all the way to Bengaluru to support their team even though it was a dead rubber fixture. Firstly, the Bengaluru fans had seemingly beaten them at their own game with some cheeky banners.
And then, even after defending resolutely for almost the entirety of the match, their team conceded two late goals as Miku and Udanta Singh scored two neat goals to wrap up the match for the home team in injury time. However, Chhetri gave the Blasters' fans something to take back home after a disappointing night.
After the match ended, the 33-year-old forward led his teammates towards the away stand where they were seated. He then proceeded to applaud them for cheering for their team at the top of their voices despite knowing that there was no chance of making it to the playoffs. Led by the captain, the rest of team followed suit as they put their hands together to acknowledge the travelling fans.
Kerala had suffered a poor start to the season and it was only after David James was brought back at the helm in January that the fans began to see a few glimmers of hope. The Blasters fought till the very end but the writing was already on the wall. FC Goa's 5-1 victory over ATK on Wednesday only confirmed their fate.
But football is not always about the results and the Blasters' fans showed it today. And, in return, Chhetri presented them with a wonderful memory.
