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UAE national team forward Ali Mabkhout has toppled Indian football team's Sunil Chhetri on the active international goalscorers list.
The Emirati forward scored a brace against Malaysia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Dubai on Thursday to climb to second place. Mabkhout has 73 goals to his name in 89 international appearances for UAE.
Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri played his 116th international game against Qatar at Doha on Thursday but failed to score a goal. The 36-year-old was replaced by Udanta Singh at half-time after creating a goalmouth chance for Manvir Singh.
Ali Mabkhout opened the floodgates in the Group G contest by drawing first blood for UAE in the 18th minute. The scoreline remained the same at half-time before Fabio Virginio de Lima scored one for the Middle East team in the 83rd minute.
Mabkhout joined the party once again by scoring in the first minute of additional time. Fabio once again put the ball in the back of the net before the full-time whistle to help UAE beat Malaysia 4-0.
Mabkhout is now only behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 103 goals in 173 matches, in the active international goalscorers list.
What's next for Indian Football Team and Sunil Chhetri?
The Indian Football Team will need to put their 0-1 loss against Qatar behind them as they face Bangladesh and Afghanistan in quick succession. The Blue Tigers face their eastern neighbors on the 7th of June before locking horns with Afghanistan on the 15th of June.
Sunil Chhetri could fall further down the pecking order as Lionel Messi's Argentina is in international action this week. They will face Chile and Uruguay in the World Cup Qualifiers before starting their Copa America journey in Brazil on the 15th of June.
Sunil Chhetri is constantly in the race with Lionel Messi, who is looking to occupy second position in the active international goalscorers' list. But now it seems he has found a new challenger in the form of the UAE's Ali Mabkhout.
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