News Mania Desk/ Sohom Chatterjee / 10th September 2024
The Indian football team lost their first tournament under the management of the new manager Manolo Marquez as Syria beat them 0-3 in the Intercontinental Cup.
The tri-nation competition, hosted by AIFF, opened on September 3 as India drew 0-0 with Mauritius. The second match on September 6 between Syria and Mauritius ended in a 2-0 victory for the Syrians.
The last match between the hosts and Syria was a do-or-die game for the Blue Tigers as they trailed behind the Eagles of Qasioun in terms of points. Prior to this match, Syria topped the points table after their win against Mauritius.
Kicking off at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad last evening at 7:30 pm, the Syrian national team looked sharp from the first touch of the game. Their first goal came at the 7th minute when Mahmoud Alaswad scored an outside of the foot goal in a crowded Indian penalty box.
India was being battered left right and centre with sequences of attacks and in the second half, they extended their lead as Daleho Irandust put the ball past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu with ease at the 76th minute.
The Blue Tigers got a few chances but they were unable to capitalise on those as Syria defended many a few brilliantly. And to put the nail into India’s coffin, Syria’s Pablo Sabbag scored the third and final goal of the match in the 96th minute from open play where he tapped the ball into the net.
Although Manolo Marquez and his boys were trying something which looked promising in the second half, defensively they were unorganised. Their efforts all went in vain as the defending champions failed to defend the title. Fans are not really pleased with the outcome as the Blue Tigers have not won a single match in their last ten games since November 2023.
