At the opening match of the Intercontinental Cup 2019 against Tajikistan at the TransStadia Arena in Ahmedabad on Sunday, July 7, Chhetri shot and scored to become the second highest active international goal scorer. This is the second time the veteran Indian forward has overtaken Argentinian football legend and five-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi in the international scoring scene. He scored two goals during this match, taking his total tally up to 70 as opposed to the 68 goals that Messi has in his arsenal. The 34-year-old footballer is now only second to the Portuguese powerhouse Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 88 goals to his name. He managed to score one goal during a ‘panenka’ penalty and got the other one in just before half-time.