Football

India vs Syria: Intercontinental Cup Final PreviewIndia's men's football team will face Syria in the final of the Intercontinental Cup on Monday, September 9, 2024, at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad. The match will kick off at 7:30 PM IST and will be telecast live on Sports 18.India began the tournament with a goalless draw against Mauritius, while Syria defeated Mauritius 2-0 in their opening match. This means that Syria holds a slight advantage heading into the final, as they only need a draw to claim the trophy.India is aiming for their second consecutive Intercontinental Cup triumph, and third overall. They won the tournament in 2018 and 2022. Syria, on the other hand, has a long history of playing tournaments in India but has never won the title. They lost back-to-back Nehru Cup finals to India in 2007 and 2009 before finishing fourth in 2012.India will be looking to their captain, Sunil Chhetri, to lead them to victory. Chhetri is India's all-time leading goalscorer and has been in impressive form in recent months. He scored a brace in India's 4-1 win over Cambodia in a friendly match in June.Syria will be relying on their experienced midfielder, Omar Khribin. Khribin is a key player for the Syrian national team and has scored over 50 goals for his country.The match is expected to be a close and exciting affair. India will be looking to attack from the start and will be hoping to take advantage of their home crowd. Syria, on the other hand, will be looking to defend deep and hit India on the counterattack.

Hosts India and Syria will face off in a thrilling winner-takes-all clash in the final of the Intercontinental Cup on Monday. India, seeking their second consecutive and third overall Intercontinental Cup triumph, will need to overcome a slight disadvantage against Syria, who require only a draw to claim the trophy.Syria, with a long history of playing tournaments in India, has yet to secure a title on Indian soil. They lost back-to-back Nehru Cup finals to India in 2007 and 2009 and finished fourth in 2012. In their last trip to India for the 2019 Intercontinental Cup, Syria finished third.India, on the other hand, will need to end a winless streak dating back to November last year to deny Syria their first silverware in India. India head coach Manolo Márquez, who celebrated his 56th birthday on Saturday, expressed confidence in his team's ability to win the tournament."It will be a difficult game for both sides. It's a friendly game, but the team who wins the game wins the trophy. We expect to play a good game and win the tournament," said Márquez.However, Márquez emphasized the importance of playing good football, believing that results will follow. "If you ask me, I prefer to play a good game than to win the tournament. I don't want to win it 1-0, scoring with the hand. I want that, in this moment, the team understands our ideas and we play better because finally, it's not about winning or losing."Defender Jay Gupta echoed his coach's sentiments, stating that the team is focused on adapting to Márquez's style of play. "Obviously, it's a game where we have to fight for the cup, but we're just focused on how we adapt to what the coach wants as soon as possible."Syria, under new head coach José Lana, is also in a new era. Lana was pleased with their opening-game display against Mauritius, which they won 2-0. He hopes to continue progressing and improve against India."I think India are a great team. I like the way they play with this coach. They try to move the ball fast. I think it will be a difficult match for us. And our only objective for tomorrow is to be better than our previous match," said Lana.The match promises to be an exciting battle between two teams eager to claim the Intercontinental Cup trophy.