The Indian football team suffered a 0-3 loss against Syria in the final match of the Intercontinental Cup at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.

Goals from Mahmoud Al Aswad, Daleho Irandust, and Pablo Sabbag propelled Jose Lana’s team to secure a crucial victory against the Blue Tigers as they clinched the Intercontinental Cup with six points from two games.

Tough end for India in the #Intercontinentalcup as they fall to Syria and wrap up the campaign! 💔#INDSYR #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/3qqAjZDl0N

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) September 9, 2024

The visitors started the game on the front foot, enjoying possession of the ball and creating relentless attacking moves from the offset. Syria got an early goal in the game courtesy of Al Aswad, who utilized his presence inside the opponent's box to get the better of the deflected ball and beat Gurpreet Singh Sandhu from close range.

Alaa Aldeen Al Dali, Al Aswad, and Irandust continued to orchestrate offensive build-ups as they looked commanding with their quick one-twos and smart ball distribution. Syria got a couple of chances inside the opening quarter to double their lead, but their efforts were either denied by India’s defence line or were off target.

In the 36th minute, Sandhu pulled off a brilliant fingertip save, showcasing his agility and denying Alaa Aldeen an opportunity to increase the lead. Towards the end of the first half, the Blue Tigers displayed a beautiful passage of play, spending more time on the ball with Sahal Abdul Samad, Nandhakumar Sekar, and Manvir Singh creating some half-chances, but they failed to convert them.

Manolo Marquez made two changes at the half-time break as he brought in Apuia and Asish Rai in place of Suresh Singh Wangjam and Nikhil Poojary.

The Blue Tigers created a couple of openings in the second half to get back in the game with Chhangte and Sekar. In the 55th minute, Samad played the ball to Chhangte, who unleashed a powerful shot, but his attempt was brilliantly saved by the Syrian goalkeeper.

The hosts got another chance in the 68th minute, but again Elias Hadaya stood strong to keep the clean sheet. Hadaya made a couple of crucial saves against India to maintain their lead in the game.

However, Syria scored twice in the final quarter, with Irandust doubling their lead in the 76th minute and Sabbag sealing the victory with his simple tap-in during the 96th minute.

With that, India faced a 0-3 defeat against Syria, missing out on their opportunity to defend the Intercontinental Cup.