IND 2-0 LBN highlights; Intercontinental Cup final: Chhetri, Chhangte goals guide India to the title

India beats Lebanon 2-0 in the final to become the Intercontinental Cup champion. Sunil Chhetri and Lallianzulala Chhangte with the goals.

Mahesh rises high to get the header away but sees it saved by Sabeh.

Rahim Ali tries to move forward with the ball but is brought down. Stimac wanted a card to be shown.

India sub: IN- Subhasish, Nandhakumar OUT- Chhangte, Chhetri

Four minutes added at the end of the second-half!

Lallianzuala Chhangte has been named as the ‘Man of the Match.’ He has bagged a goal and an assist in the final.

Maatouk does well to get a cross away despite being under pressure but it is an easy collect for Gurpreet.

There is a visible drop in tempo as the match enters the last 10 minutes. The conditions are also not making things any easier.

Chhetri takes a shot from just outside the box but sees it blocked.

Another attack by Lebanon comes to a disappointing end with the flag going up for offside. The Indian defence never looked uncomfortable.

It is not just about the two goals today but it is about the overall control Stimac’s men has had on the match. The composure has improved a lot in the second-half.

Despite creating a few chances in the first-half, there has been nothing solid from Lebanon in the second-half.

India sub: IN- Rahim Ali OUT- Sahal

Play halts as the players take a colling break. No doubt as to who will be the happier coach at the moment.

Zein has gone down without any challenge and that does not look good for the player. Looks like a muscle pull.

GOOOALLL!! INDIA DOUBLES ITS LEAD!! CHHANGTE FINDS THE NET!! Mahesh does well to get a cracking shot away from inside the Lebanon box. Sabeh makes the save but cannot hold on to the ball. Chhangte is the first to reach the ball and lash it inside the net from close distance.

Bader tries to find Maatouk by slipping a deft pass through a tight area. But Jhingan is alert enough to anticipate the play and clear the ball out of play.

Poojary does well to keep the ball on the right flank. He shows quick feet to keep the ball in play and escape his mn. He looks up and goes for the cross, but sends the ball out of play.

India subs: IN- Rohit, Mahesh OUT- Jeakson, Ashique

Ashique had space and time to go for a shot from distance and he did. Decent power in the shot but it is way off target.

Bader looks to involve himself already as he sends a cross inside the box from the left. It was a dangerous cross and found Maatouk’s head. However, he could not make solid contact with the ball.

Lebanon sub: IN- Bader, Al Haaj

Chhangte took his time to settle in the match in the first-half. He was not being able to play his usual game. But now, he is proving to be menace for the Lebanon defence on the right flank.

Now it is about holding on to the lead from Stimac’s men. It still seems too early to sit back. The best bet for the Blue Tigers is to play theur usual football and try for a second goal.

GOOOALLL!!! INDIA SCORES AND WHO ELSE BUT SUNIL CHHETRI!! That was exquisite buildup play from the Blue Tigers. Poojary shows good skill to slip the ball to Chhangte through a tight space. Chhangte makes a bursting run and squares the ball to Chhetri, who slots it home from close distance.

The second-half of the Intercontinental final between India and Lebanon kicks-off at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.

The match is goalless as the teams break for half-time. India has the better stats at the brek but nothing to show for it.

Igor Stimac must be telling his boys to calm down in the opponent final third.

It is a complete waste of a chance as Thapa’s delivery into the box is high and does not find any of his teammates.

Sahal is fouled and India has a freekick in a dangerous area.

Anwar Ali tries to slot a ball to Chhangte between a tight space, but sees his pass getting intercepted.

Three minutes added at the end of the first-half!

Saad takes a long shot at India’s goal. The ball was travelling but it is a fairly easy save for Gurpreet as the ball was at a comfortable height.

Booking: Ashique sees a yellow card for bringing down Farran.

It is a smart foul as Farran was darting away on a counter attack. Took one for the team there, Ashique.

Maatouk moves forward with the ball as the Indian defence backtracks. The Lebanon captain passes to the overlapping Zein on the left. Zein takes a shot but misses the target by quite a distance. Ideally, Zein should have found Maatouk with a reverse ball as he was in a good position.

India works out an excellent attack yet again. Sahal., who has looked threatening till now, gets the ball on the left flank. He tries to swing a cross at the far-post, looking for Chhetri, but overhits it as the ball goes out for a Lebanon goalkick.

India’s approach play has been top notch till now but the Blue Tigers have often hurried things in the final third.

The match resumes after the cooling break.

The match halts temporarily for a cololing break. Both coaches with a chance to have a talk with their team.

Darwich takes a shot at goal but it is a weak one and off target. Eventually the whistle is blown for offside so it would not have mattered anyway.

Booking: Matar sees a yelow card for a challenge on Ashique.

Lebanon breaks on a counter-attack. Farran uses his pace to make a darting run down the right flank. He finds Maatouk with his reverse pass. The Lebanon skipper tries to shoot on the turn but cannot hit the target.

Chhangte pings a ball in from the right. Chhetri leaves the ball and it falls to Sahal. Sahal goes for a curler but his shot is blocked.

Ashique swings a good cross inside the box, which almost lands at Chhetri’s feet. But a timely interception by the Lebanon defence prevents Chhetri from getting the ball.

Sahal shows wonderful footwork to get past Dhaini. He tries to square the ball toi Chhetri with a grounded pass from the touchline. Chhetri had made the run but the ball is intercepted before it reaches him.

Gurpreet pings a long ball forward and suddenly Chhetri looks in a prime position to attack the ball. Chhetri tries to bring the ball under control but he is beaten by the bounce as Sabeh collects the ball.

Nothing comes from the corner as Chhetri does a good job of clearing the ball.

A mispass from Sahal initiates a patient attacking buildup from Lebanon. Skipper Maatouk goes for a cross from the left but it is blocked. A corner for Lebanon.

Lebanon finally seems to find its footing in the match as it looks confident in keeping the ball. The first 10 minutes have been India’s completely.

Now that we have seen the replay, the challenge was just outside the box. It did look like a foul nonetheless.

Ashqiue goes down inside the box after a clip by Farran. There is a penalty shout but the referee just points for a goalkick. Igor Stimac is not happy.

Chhetri turns provider as he swings in a first time cross for Sahal inside the Lebanon box. Sahal tries to reach the ball but the cross is too heavy for him.

Thpa tries to spead the ball to Ashique on the left flank with an aerial ball. But, Thapa puts too much power in his pass and the ball goes out.

India’s high press is clearly evident in the opening minutes of the match. But the Blue Tigers have to be wary of counter-attacks.

An electrifying start to the match. First, it was a Lebanon attack but Jhingan uses his physicality well to intercept the ball. India then breaks for an attack. Thapa takes the shot but it is blocked.

The Intercontinental Cup final kicks-off between India and Lebanon at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.

Both teams are on the pitch and it is time for the national anthems.

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India Predicted XI

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Nikhil Poojary, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra, Jeakson Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Sunil Chhetri, Naorem Mahesh Singh

Lebanon Predicted XI

Ali Sabeh (GK), Hussein Zein, Mohammad El Hayek, Jihad Ayoub, Hassan Saad, Walid Chouar, Ali Tneich, Zein Abidine Farran, Hassan Maatouk, Nader Matar, Karim Darwich

The senior Indian men’s football team will be facing the first test of its Asian Cup aspirations when it takes on a young Lebanon side in the final of the Hero Intercontinental Cup on Sunday.

The title decider will be held here at the Kalinga Stadium, which previously saw the completion of the league stage where India emerged as the topper with seven points. Lebanon, which finished second with five points, is the challenger as India looks to regain its winning rhythm after drawing the last league game goalless with the former (on Thursday).

“Things were in our favour in the last match and it could have been a nice win. But it didn’t happen, and now we need to continue with our efforts and reach our goal in the final,” Stimac said ahead of the title fight. The draw in the last match also ended the seven-game winning run for India. Stimac said that he hoped to see his team regain the winning touch in the final. “I would have been worried if we were not creating chances, but that hasn’t been the case in the tournament,” he said. “Our boys are playing with great faith, and we need to keep supporting them so that they keep rising,” said Stimac.

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Live telecast/Streaming information

When does the Intercontinental Cup final match between India and Lebanon start?

The Intercontinental Cup final match between India and Lebanon will start at 7:30 pm IST on Thursday at the Kalinga stadium.

Where can I watch the Intercontinental Cup final match between India and Lebanon?

The Intercontinental Cup final match between India and Lebanon can be live streamed on Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinemas. The match will also be telecast live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.