Intercontinental Cup: What happened when India last played Syria?

India faces familiar rival Syria in the final match of the 2024 Intercontinental Cup to decide the winner at the G.M.C.

Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday. India, which began the competition with a 0-0 draw against Mauritius on Tuesday, is eyeing its second consecutive Intercontinental Cup, and third overall. Syria beat Mauritius 2-0 on Friday, which means it holds a slight advantage heading into the final game as the Eagles of Qasioun require only a draw to claim the trophy.



With the title on the line, the match between the old rivals promises to be a enthralling encounter. ALSO READ | The Tigers vs the Eagles: It will be make-or-break for India against Syria in Intercontinental Cup 2024 decider Here’s what happen when India and Syria last played against each other: The Blue Tigers finished its AFC Asian Cup 2023 campaign on a forgettable note with a 0-1 loss to Syria in its third and final group stage match at the Al Bayt Stadium on Tuesday. India had started the game looking for an early break, with Mahesh Singh Naorem coming close to scoring in the fourth minute, only to see it go wide after a deflection.

Syria, on the other hand, was seen practising plenty of long and diagonal balls in its final warm-up which was reflected in its play, using a 4-4-2 shape. It bombarded India with shots continuously but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s astute presence ensured the score remained level. His first save came from a corner in the seventh minute.

Pablo Sabbag beat Manvir Singh to Jalil Elias’ corner but his header was pushed away by the Bengaluru FC goalkeeper. India had two more chances to score and both had captain Sunil Chhetri taking them. While the first – a header from a floating cross by Mahesh – was steered wide of goal, the second, the last shot of the first half, flew off-target.

Minutes into the second half, Sandesh Jhingan limped off the field to be replaced by Nikhil Poojary. And then the breakthrough eventually arrived in the 76th minute. Lalengmawia Ralte lost the ball to Elias in the midfield, who marched up the pitch and passed to Alaa Aldin Yasin Dali, who then got the ball to Khrbin in the centre.

Khrbin passed the ball further left to Hesar before meeting the return cross in the box, beating Rahul Bheke and finding the bottom-left corner. Syria eventually qualified for the knockouts as one of the four best third-placed teams while India’s run in the continental tournament ended with the loss. Comments Related Topics Indian football / Syria / Intercontinental Cup / Sunil Chhetri / Sandesh Jhingan Latest on Sportstar.