India Stumble in Intercontinental Cup Opener Against Mauritius
India’s Intercontinental Cup opener against Mauritius ended in a disappointing 0-0 draw, leaving new coach Manolo Marquez with plenty to ponder. The match, played in Hyderabad, exposed the gulf in quality between the two sides, with India struggling to create clear-cut chances against a team ranked 55 places below them.
Marquez, who took over the reins from Igor Stimac, admitted that his team’s performance was “difficult to play worse than today.” He acknowledged the need for significant improvement ahead of their next match against Syria on Monday.
India’s preparations for the Intercontinental Cup have been far from ideal. They were eliminated from the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after a disappointing campaign that included a defeat to Afghanistan. Hopes were raised after a victory over Qatar, but a late winner from Kuwait dashed their dreams of qualification.
Despite the setbacks, India remain focused on the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Marquez handed Chinglensana Singh his first India cap in nearly 18 months, and the center-back impressed with a solid performance. Ashish Rai and Jay Gupta also made their debuts in defense.
Sahal Abdul Samad, who scored and won a penalty in the Durand Cup final, started on the bench but came on at half-time. Nandhakumar Sekar also made an appearance as a substitute.
India enjoyed superior possession but failed to test Mauritius goalkeeper Jean Luis Obrian until the 37th minute. Manvir Singh had a chance to break the deadlock but was denied by Obrian.
Mauritius threatened during a second-half spell, but their best chance came in the 37th minute when Jean grazed the crossbar with a long-ranger.
Overall, the match was a disappointing start to India’s Intercontinental Cup campaign. Marquez will need to find a way to improve his team’s attacking play if they are to have any chance of success in the tournament.