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India and Lebanon, both having secured a final berth before the kick-off, exchanged faint blows to settle for a 0-0 draw in their final group stage match of the Intercontinental Cup on Thursday, June 5.
Building up to the clash, Indian head coach Igor Stimac opted for an attacking line without any specified strikers. Ashique Kuruniyan returned to the starting lineup and started out as the sole center-forward.
The Blue Tigers, expectedly, had a bright start to the game at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, with the first clear chance falling Anirudh Thapa's way in the fourth minute itself. Lallianzuala Chhangte perfectly set up the Chennaiyin FC midfielder in the opposition box, but Thapa managed to drag his effort wide despite having just Ali Sabeh to beat.
But the visitors would not be silenced altogether. Lebanon skipper Hassan Maatouk stitched together a mazy run in the 10th minute but his vicious effort from inside the box flew over the goal.
India continued to control the tempo of the game with their slick passing and curved open another gilt-edge opportunity a few minutes later. Ashique found himself at the end of an excellent ball inside the box, but his shot was straight to Sabeh.
At the other end, the Cedars created a threatening opportunity of their own in the 32nd minute and Hassan Saad tested Amrinder Singh with a sharp header. But the Odisha FC custodian was up to the task and kept the ball out with a full-length dive.
The two teams went into the half-time break level pegging.
Led by Hassan Maatouk down the flanks, Lebanon had a fiery start to the second 45 minutes. However, the Blue Tigers showed great composure at the back to negate all the threats.
The first substitution of the match came in the 59th minute when Stimac brought on Rahim Ali to replace Ashique. Soon after Naorem Mahesh Singh came off the bench in the place of Sahal Abdul Samad.
But yet India couldn't conjure up any goal-scoring opportunities. Hence, the Croatian tactician finally decided to throw in the ever-reliant Sunil Chhetri into the mix.
With the Indian forward line now rejuvenated, a glorious opportunity presented itself when Thapa play Rahim Ali through on goal with just Sabeeh to better. But seemingly caught in two minds, the Indian forward managed to completely miscue his effort and the chance went for begging.
Late in the game, Thapa delivered a precise cross in the box from a dead ball situation, creating a half chance for Sunil Chhetri to convert. However, the talismanic forward could only get his shoulder to the ball and scuffed his effort.
Ultimately, despite all the sparring from both teams, neither could land the fatal blow during the duration of the match. Next, India and Lebanon will once again square off in the finale of the Intercontinental Cup on Sunday, June 18.
Vanuatu squash Mongolia's hopes of securing a berth in the Intercontinental Cup 2023 final
Meanwhile, Vanuatu celebrated a triumphant conclusion to their Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023 campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Mongolia at Kalinga Stadium earlier on Thursday.
Both teams engaged in a fierce tactical battle throughout the game and played furious attacking football right away. When Ganbold Ganbayar launched a counterattack in the 10th minute, Mongolia had a chance to go ahead. But given the difficult angle, Vanuatu custodian Massing Kalotang confidently stopped his shot.
In response, Vanuatu launched a dangerous approach, but Jordy Tasip's shot missed the left post and went wide.
The Blue Wolves had a great opportunity to break the tie in the 36th minute when Ganbayar was set up by Baatartsogt Namsrai inside the box. But the opposition custodian easily blocked his weak effort. But finally, after the break, Vanuatu took the lead when Gantuya Gantogtokh accidentally scored an own goal while attempting to clear the ball.
Despite their best efforts, Vanuatu managed to resist Mongolia's attempts to get an equalizer. Vanuatu ended the tournament with three points from this victory while Mongolia just had a lone point from their draw against Lebanon in the previous tie.
