Goals from Chhetri and Chante as India beat Lebanon 2-0 to win the Intercontinental Cup

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]18 June (ANI): India clinched the Intercontinental Cup 2023 title on Sunday after defeating Lebanon 2-0 in the final at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

In the Blue Tigers’ first ever tournament in the Odisha capital, fans witnessed spectacular spectacles throughout the four games as India kept a clean sheet before reclaiming their last title in 2018. .

Stimak’s side rode the end of a sharp Indian attack from the right flank in the second half, with Sunil Chhetri swinging into the net just after the restart to do all the damage. The hero of the match, Lariansala Chanteten, doubled his advantage after 20 minutes with a simple tap-in.

While Lebanon struggled to connect two passes to get out of their own half, India stepped on the accelerator early on.

In the fifth minute, Chhetri delivered his first cross on a loose ball, just a few millimeters above Sahar Abdul Samad, who was lurking in the six-yard box.

Ashike Kuruniyan, who plays on the left flank, proved to be difficult for the visiting defense to deal with. He threw the ball low into the box and Sahar cut back from the goal line past the red shirt. However, the ball was cleared by Lebanon’s outstretched leg before Chhetri went over the edge of the ball.

Crowds continued to flock to the Kalinga Stadium through the first 20-25 minutes, but despite continuing to put pressure on the Lebanese defense, the Blue Tigers were unable to test goalkeeper Ali Sabe in the first half. rice field.

As in Thursday’s game, Lebanon continued to pose a threat on the counter, but it was difficult to find a way past the ever-steady Sandesh Jingan, who was voted hero of the tournament. In the 22nd minute, after winning the ball in India’s half, Zain Faran burst down the right flank and shot at captain Hassan Martouk, who was bravely blocked by Zingan.

A few minutes before half-time, Soonee Saad tried for a sharp snap shot from long range, but it was held safely by Ghapreet Singh Sandhu.

India got off to a fast start to the second half kick-off and this time scored. Chhetri may have broken the deadlock in a tense final with his 87th international goal, but this goal was purely a team effort and featured excellent coordination on the right flank.

Lariansala Chante picked up Nikhil Poojalee at the touchline and Poojalee returned the ball with a sensationally well-crafted backheel. Mumbai City’s winger then sent a low ball to the front of the goal before Sunil Chhetri slammed Sabe’s foot in from close range.

Bolstered by a long-awaited breakthrough and the constant cheering of the 12,000-strong Kalinga crowd, the Blue Tigers kept pushing for their second goal. Jackson Singh Tunaojam and Jingang witnessed two corners of Thapa heading over the bar in quick succession.

India’s momentum continued, with Chante making it 2-0 in the 65th minute. Chhetri gave the feed to Naorem Mahesh Singh, who had come on as a substitute just five minutes earlier, for a shot in front of goal. His low shot fell to Sabe, and Chante quickly hit the rebound.

From then on it was simple game management for the Blue Tigers. The Blue Tigers didn’t take unnecessary risks and stayed vigilant in the back as he defended his two-point lead. Lebanon probably came closest to scoring in the entire game in the 80th minute, when Martouk put Mahdi Zain’s cross in from six yards out.

India XI: Ghapreet Singh Sandhu (Goalkeeper), Nikhil Poojari, Sandesh Jingan, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Jaxon Singh Tunaojam (Rohit Kumar 59′), Anirud Thapa, Sahar Abdul A. Samad (Rahim Ali 72′), Ashik Kuruniyan (Naorem Mahesh) Singh 59′), Sunil Chhetri (c) (Subhashish Bose 90′) and Larianzuara Chante (Nandakumar Sekhar 90′). (Ani)