India vs Lebanon Highlights, Intercontinental Cup 2023: FT IND 0-0 LBN; Blue Tigers, Cedars play out goalless draw

India vs Lebanon LIVE

India defender Sandesh Jhingan, who wore the captain’s armband today in Sunil Chhetri’s absence, and coach Igor Stimac speak to the broadcast:

Jhingan: “Both sides in the finals, you can never pick any side. You want to win it, same goes for them. Our aim, our target will always will be to win, and we’ll come with that belief two days later.”

Stimac: “Very happy with the boy’s performance, although we knew we would get tested a couple of times. They defended well. Created enough chances to go ahead. Even Sunil had a clear chance. Today, the priority was to keep the clean sheet. Still plenty to do, but I think we can win in three days’ time”

India vs Lebanon LIVE

FT IND 0-0 LBN

90+4’: Full time at the Kalinga Stadium, and India and Lebanon play out a hard-fought goalless draw — the Blue Tigers’ first in 16 outings! Both sides managed to create multiple chances throughout, but couldn’t quite convert those chances into goals.

Both teams will be locking horns again three days later in the final on Sunday, and the Indians sure will be looking to starting with a full strength XI after benching most of the seniors today.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

90+4’: India manage to win a last-minute corner and Thapa takes the kick. Thapa though, ends up putting in too much power into the shot. Interesting little mid-field battles between the two sides follows, ultimately resulting in a stalemate.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

90’: Four minutes added at the end of the 90th minute. Enough time for a late winner? Both sides will back themselves to get that the way they’ve been playing so far.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

90’: India get a free kick in the dying minutes of the match. Anirudh Thapa takes it. Chhetri lunges forward and ends up heading it well over the goalpost. And with that, we’re into injury time now.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

88’: Final roll of the dice for the Cedars as they make a double change — Darwich and Tneich getting replaced by Al Haj and Kourani.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

84’: Excellent through ball from Thapa to Rahim Ali, who dashes forward and is one-on-one with custodian Sabeh, only for the forward to waste the opportunity with a weak left-footed finish that rolls away gently past the keeper and is kicked away for a throw in by the Lebanese defence.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

82’: Loud cheer from the crowd at the Kalinga Stadium as Sunil Chhetri finally comes on to the field along with Rahul Bheke, the former getting the captain’s armband from Sandesh Jhingan. Udanta Singh and Nikhil Poojary come off.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

80’: Anirudh Thapa takes a corner in the 80th minute and manages to fire a left curler. None of the Indians are able to connect though, and the ball rolls away for a goal kick. Another 10 minutes left before minus injury time.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

75’: Mahdi Zeyn replaces Hassan Saad in the 75th minute as Lebanon make a second change. Another 15 minutes left in regulation time. Meanwhile, talismanic strike Sunil Chhetri has taken his training gear off and appears ready in the Indian dugout.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

72’: India, meanwhile, bring in Mahesh for Sahal. Can the introduction of fresh legs on both sides help break the deadlock? Another cooling break follows shortly after.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

69’: And now Lebanon make their first change — Ali Dhaini replacing Matar.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

65’: The offside flag goes up again for the second time in 10 minutes, with Sahal the player involved on this occasion following a pass from Udanta. A minute later Chhangte cuts one back to Udanta standing right in front of the keeper. Udanta goes for an overhead finish, only for it to fly over the top post.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

60’: First change of the evening, with India coach Stimac bringing in Rahim Ali for Ashique Kuruniyan.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

59’: Excellent cross from Akash at the halfway line and Sahal manages to get the ball past the keeper — the first time it has happened in today’s match. The offside flag, however, is up, which the cheering Indian fans at the stadium perhaps fail to notice.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

56’: Spirited charge by Ashique as he sprints towards the Lebanese third with just one defender to beat, but is unable to feed the ball to Sahal to his right and the India charge dies down near the box. Striker Sunil Chhetri, meanwhile, is warming up at the moment and is likely to be brought in any moment now.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

52’: A second booking for India, with Nikhil Poojary getting a yellow for pulling the jersey of a member of the opposition.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

51’: Excellent effort by both Akash and Sabeh. The former fires towards the box from down the left flank and Anirudh nearly connects and slots the ball in. Lebanese keeper Sabeh, however, does well to collect the ball safely for a goal kick.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

47’: Lebanon are awarded a corner shortly after resumption of play. But are unable to convert it to take the lead against the Blue Tigers as Al Farran ends up firing it high and wide.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

46’: Play resumes at the Kalinga Stadium with India coach Igor Stimac having quite the animated chat with the Blue Tigers ahead of the second half. The Indians get into a huddle before resumption of play.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

HT: IND 0-0 LBN

45+3’: Halftime at the Kalinga Stadium, with both India and Lebanon yet to slip one past the keeper despite creating multiple chances in what has been a tensely-fought first half so far.

Lebanon get an opportunity right before the halftime whistle with Maatouk taking the free kick from well outside the box, but the Indian defence manages to parry it away to safety.

Earlier in the 44th minute, Lebanon got a second yellow card with Ayoub going into the book for an apparent handball.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

45’: Couple of minutes added to the clock as the match reaches the 45th minute mark. Both teams are yet to break the deadlock.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

35’: Free kick awarded to India just outside the box. Chhangte takes it and his shot takes a deflection off the wall before going over the goalpost. The referee, for some reasons, awards a goal kick for Lebanese keeper Sabeh, and India coach Igor Stimac is not happy with that at all!

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

32’: And now it’s Lebanon’s turn to face the referee’s ire, with Ali Tneich getting booked for a rash challenge at Sahal, who himself had been awarded a yellow five minutes earlier.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

27’: The referee makes his first booking of the evening, with India’s Abdul Sahal Ahmad getting a yellow for a shove at Darwich following a brief exchange. The players get a drinks break shortly after.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

23’: The Indian defence was briefly exposed in a Lebanese counterattack, with Darwich attempting a shot from inside the box after being fed from the right by Al Farran, only to be blocked by Jhingan, who’s wearing the captain’s armband today.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

19’: The Blue Tigers come close to scoring for a second time today! Udanta fires the ball into the box after running down the left flank, with Ashique attempting the shot, only for Lebanese keeper Sabeh to make an easy save. The Blue Tigers, though, have looked good so far this evening.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

16’: Free kick awarded to Lebanon and taken by Lebanese forward and skipper Maatouk, who ends up firing it wide to the left of Indian goalkeeper Amarinder. The Sandesh Jhingan-led Indian defence does well to not let any of the Lebanese forward get hold of the ball. India launch a counter-attack in the subsequent goal kick, but end up firing it wide of the goalpost.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

6’: Two minutes after missing a shot from six yards out, Thapa manages to halt a Lebanese counterattack led by Chour.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

4’: India nearly open their account in the first five minutes of the clash! Anirudh Thapa gets the ball with just the goalkeeper standing in front of him, but ends up spraying it wide.

India vs Lebanon LIVE

IND 0-0 LBN

Kickoff! The match gets underway at the Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium, with the Blue Tigers benching a number of seniors including striker Sunil Chhetri and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Sandesh Jhingan is wearing the captain’s armband today and is the only Indian to have started in all the games so far.

And here’s Lebanon’s starting XI

Lebanon lineup for #INDLBN ⚔️#HeroIntercontinentalCup 🏆 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/CLSk6iPtaj

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 15, 2023

Here’s what the Indian starting XI looks like:

Here’s how your #BlueTigers 🐯 will take the field tonight 🔥#HeroIntercontinentalCup 🏆 #IndianFootball ⚽️ #INDLBN ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/E5p4bQd1ML

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 15, 2023

Here’s how India and Lebanon have fared so far in the 2023 Intercontinental Cup:

India:

— defeated Mongolia 2-0

— defeated Vanuatu 1-0

Lebanon:

— defeated Vanuatu 3-1

— drew with Mongolia 0-0