Picture Credit: Twitter
India won the prestigious Intercontinental Cup of football by defeating Lebanon with a convincing margin of 2-0 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on June 18, Sunday. The captain Sunil Chhetri and Lallianzuala Chhangte scored two goals in the second half to help the Men in Blue attain the big victory.
During the group stage of the Intercontinental Cup, both India and Lebanon played a goalless draw in a pulsating encounter. With that, India had topped the standings with two wins and one draw, while Lebanon finished in second place with one win and two draws. Furthermore, the two other nations in the tournament, Vanuatu, who secured third place with one win, ahead of Mongolia, who earned a draw to finish last.
Notably, the first half of the Intercontinental Cup final was goalless as both teams tried to gain the upper hand. India had most of the possession of the ball as they pressed higher to get the opener.
The second half of the match began perfectly for the Blue Tigers as Lallianzuala Chhangte made a bursting run towards the Lebanese defence. He squared the ball to his captain Sunil Chhetri, who put the ball in the back of the net from close distance in the 46th time to give India the much deserved lead.
Lebanon did put some pressure on the hosts as they made swift moves in the defensive third of the hosts, who stayed very resolute. Then in the 66 minute of the Intercontinental Cup final, India got 2-0 ahead thanks to the Lallianzuala Chhangte strike from close distance. He took advantage of the rebound from the Lebanese goalkeeper, who had somehow saved a cracking shot from Naorem Mahesh Singh seconds prior.
The Intercontinental Cup is the first tournament triumph for Blue Tigers, after their SAFF Championship win in 2021.
