Intercontinental Cup 2023: Key details about Indian men's football team
India started their Intercontinental Cup 2023 campaign brilliantly with a 2-0 win over Mongolia at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. This is the third edition of the Intercontinental Cup and a major part of India's Asian Cup preparation which will happen next year in Qatar. India defeated Kenya in the finals to clinch the 2018 edition of the Intercontinental Cup. Here are the details.
A look at the teams
Intercontinental Cup has seen several teams come to India to fight out for the title from across the globe. In the 2023 edition of the tournament, teams like Vanuatu, Lebanon, and Mongolia will be fighting for the trophy along with hosts, India. Vanuatu (164) and Mongolia (183) are ranked below India (101). Only Lebanon (99) are ranked higher than the hosts.
Here's the format
It is a very straightforward round-robin format as four teams will play against each other in the group stage clashes. After three rounds are completed, the top two teams will play in the finals. North Korea won the last edition beating Tajikistan in the finals.
How did India fare in the last two editions?
India won the 2018 Intercontinental Cup when they topped the group stage and then subsequently defeated Kenya in the finals to lift the trophy. India defeated Chinese Taipei and Kenya but lost to New Zealand. In 2019, India finished last due to their defeats against North Korea and Tajikistan. They managed a 1-1 draw against Syria. North Korea went on to win the trophy.
Sunil Chhetri leads the goalscoring charts
Indian talisman Sunil Chhetri has found the net multiple times in the Intercontinental Cup. He leads the goals tally in the tournament with 11 goals. He scored a hattrick against Chinese Taipei in 2018, followed by a brace against Kenya. He even scored one in India's defeat against NZ. He finished with eight goals in 2018. He netted three goals in the 2019 edition.
A look at India's squad for the 2023 Intercontinental Cup
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh, Amrinder Singh and Phurba Lachenpa Tempa. Defenders: Subhasish Bose, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh and Rahul Bheke. Midfielders: Liston Colaco, Ashique Kuruniyan, Suresh Wangjam, Rohit Kumar, Udanta Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Mahesh Naorem, Nikhil Poojary, Jeakson Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lalengmawia Ralte, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rowllin Borges and Nandha Kumar. Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Rahim Ali and Ishan Pandita.
India thrashed Mongolia 2-0 in the first match
India started the match with a bang as Sahal Samad scored the opener in the second minute. Anirudh Thapa orchestrated the move and Sahal slammed home the parry from the Mongolian goalkeeper. In the 15th minute, Sandesh Jhingan's header was cleared off the line but Lallianzuala Chhangte was at the right place to net the rebound. Meanwhile, Lebanon also defeated Vanuatu in the opener.
Here are the upcoming matches
The next match in the Intercontinental Cup will be between Mongolia and Lebanon on June 12 from 4:30pm. India will play later in the day against Vanuatu from 7:30pm IST. In the third round, Vanuatu will lock horns against Mongolia on June 15 from 4:30pm, while India will face Lebanon on the same day from 7:30pm. The final will be on June 18 (7:30pm).
