NEW DELHI: The
Indian football
team's pursuit of a third
Intercontinental Cup
title ended in defeat as they lost 0-3 to Syria in their final league match in Hyderabad on Monday.
Goals from Mahmoud Al Aswad and Daleho Mohsen Irandust in the seventh and 77th minutes, respectively, along with an injury-time goal from Pablo Sabbag, secured Syria’s victory.
The result disheartened the home fans at the GMC Balayogi Athletics Stadium.
The loss marked a disappointing start for Manolo Marquez, who took over as India’s head coach in July after Igor Stimac.
Syria, who had earlier won 2-0 against Mauritius, topped the round-robin league with six points.
India and Mauritius both ended the tournament with one point each after a goalless draw on September 3.
With no final match in the tournament, the highest-ranked team from the league matches wins the title.
India had previously won the Intercontinental Cup in 2018 and 2023. This year marked Syria's first title victory on Indian soil.
Previously, Syria had come close but fell short, losing to India in the Nehru Cup finals in 2007 and 2009 and finishing fourth in 2012.
In the 2019 Intercontinental Cup, they ended in third place after a 1-1 draw with India. Their last encounter was a 1-0 win against India in the Asian Cup in Qatar in January.
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