This is India’s second win at the tournament after the inaugural tournament in 2018
Post Date – 10:30 PM, Sunday – 6/18/23
Source: twitter.com/IndianFootball
Bhubaneswar: Captain Sunil Chhetri stepped up as usual with his 87th international goal as India won the Intercontinental Cup with a 2-0 win over Lebanon in Sunday’s final.
Lallianzuala Chhangte, another star of the summit showdown, capped off an impressive display with his second goal of the night as India again got a clean sheet.
This is India’s second win at the tournament after the inaugural World Cup winner in 2018. North Korea won the title in 2019.
In the final leg of his career, the 38-year-old Chhetri scored in the 46th minute of the title race, breaking the deadlock immediately after play resumed following a goalless first-half.
Buoyed by their lead and backed by a near-full crowd at Kalinga Stadium, India cemented their position as first-goal provider Lallianzuala Chhangte found the goal in the 66th minute to put the fans and their 99th. The opponents were delighted to be dumbfounded.
In the hot and humid conditions, both teams had chances in the first half, but neither took them, as in the previous two days in a stalemate in an inconsequential game.
While India had a higher possession rate – close to 58 per cent – the Lebanese had seven shots compared to the home side’s three, again looking uninspired in the opposition’s final third.
However, that all changed after the break.
First, Chhangte charged into the box and cut the ball back to Chhetri, who opened the scoring with a cool kick past Lebanese keeper Ali Sabeh from close range.
The goal came as Nikhil Poojary managed to pass the ball from tight spaces to Chhangte, who then passed the ball to his inspiring captain.
With their tails up after the opening, the Indians looked to keep the advantage at home and scored a second goal through Chhangte.
Substitute Naorem Mahesh Singh, receiving the ball from Chetri, tried to pass it to the Lebanese keeper, who saved it but failed to keep it close. After the rebound, Chhangte doubled India’s lead.
Unimpressed by his custodian’s efforts, India head coach Igor Timack rectified the players at the break.
“We played well for the first 10 minutes, but then we seemed to disappear. I was angry, talking to the players at half-time. We played very well in the second half, but still need to do a lot of work for players like Australia (in Asia). Teams like this in the FA Asian Cup) are ready,” Stymark said after the win.
Early on, the Blue Tigers started on a positive note, looking for chances to score but were unable to convert the few chances they had.
In the 6th minute, Ashik Kurunyan was brought down in the penalty area of Lebanon, and the home team immediately appealed for a penalty kick, but the referee disagreed, and even Stimac was furious.
India found themselves in a difficult situation when Lebanon tried to fight back, but Ashik fouled, earning a yellow card and preventing the visitors from rushing towards India’s goal.
In hot and humid conditions, the team took two cooling breaks.
Meanwhile, Chetri has scored 87 goals in 137 appearances, continuing to rank third among active players in international football behind Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
