Football, Intercontinental Cup: India held to a goalless draw by Mauritius in tournament opener

The Indian men’s football team were held 0-0 by Mauritius in their opening match of the 2024 Intercontinental Cup in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

In what was head coach Manolo Marquez’s first match in-charge, India kept the lion’s share of the possession but lacked the cutting edge in attack against the visitors, who defended resolutely to claim a valuable point. It was a game of few chances, with only one shot on target by each side in the entire 90 minutes.

India made a patient start, knocking the ball around calmly. It wouldn’t take long to create the first dangerous chance as Anirudh Thapa’ss sixth-minute corner skimmed the back of Manvir Singh’s head and almost fell for Chinglensana Singh rushing at the back post, but it missed the mark.

Mauritius didn’t look too eager to press. However, they pounced on every counter-attack opportunity they got with Jordan François causing some trouble with crosses from the right.

On a couple of occasions, the Indians gifted chances to the visitors. In the 20th minute, a slip from Asish Rai allowed Yannick Aristide to drill a low ball from the left but there was no Mauritian shirt to tap it in. Four minutes later, there was another slip from Lalengmawia as...

Read more