India’s Intercontinental Cup campaign ended in disappointment as they succumbed to a 0-3 defeat against Syria in Hyderabad. Despite a spirited second-half performance, India failed to find the back of the net, leaving them still searching for their first win of the year.
Syria, who had already secured the title with two wins, dominated the first half, scoring through Mahmoud Alaswad in the seventh minute. India’s goalkeeper, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, kept them in the game with several impressive saves, but Syria’s superior technique and skill proved too much to handle.
In the second half, India came out with renewed determination and tested Syria’s goalkeeper, Elias Hadaya, on several occasions. Liston Colaco came close to scoring in the dying minutes, but his shot was palmed away by Hadaya.
India’s head coach, Manolo Marquez, expressed frustration with his team’s first-half performance, saying, “I was very angry after the first half. I do not like teams that are scared.”
Despite the defeat, Marquez remained optimistic about India’s future, stating, “We can score and we will score” in the era after Sunil Chhetri.
