Hyderabad
Manolo Marquez had a tepid start to his career as India coach since his boys played out a goalless draw against Mauritius in their Intercontinental Cup 2024 opener at the G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium here on Tuesday.
The Mauritians entered the match as underdogs but took the game to the Blue Tigers, putting their defence under pressure in the opening minutes and preventing the home team from enjoying prolonged possession with some high-pressing action.
Jay Gupta was a busy figure in the opening minutes as Mauritian fullback Rayenne Francois threatened on the overlap, pinging some dangerous first-time crosses inside the box.
India carved out its first chance in the sixth minute. Anirudh Thapa’s corner reached the far post, where Chinglensana Singh came close to getting a touch and helping the ball inside the net but failed to reach it in time.
The India coach cut a frustrated figure on the touchlines with his team failing to stitch more than three passes inside the opposition half.
ALSO READ | ISL has been one of the most important tournaments in my lifetime: Sunil Chhetri
As the game progressed, the Indians managed to increase their hold on the ball but could not convert possessional dominance into any meaningful threats, with the Mauritians keeping a compact defence.
Right when the match’s tempo had gone into a lull, leading to a bland midfield battle, India created a scoring opportunity in the 35th minute.
Thapa spotted an opening and slipped a deft pass for Manvir Singh, who timed his run to perfection off his marker’s shoulder and took a shot from a tight angle. However, experienced Mauritius keeper Jean Louis Kevin O’Brian showed good reflexes to palm the ball out of play.
The Mauritians responded with a chance of their own two minutes later, with Emmanuel Vincent striking the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the box.
In the second half, India started with the intent to bag an early lead as Lallianzuala Chhangte put on the afterburners and swung a low cross inside the box, only for the Mauritian keeper to get a big glove to it and send it out of play.
India failed to find its footing in the second-half, with Mauritius creating the better chances, forcing keeper Amrinder Singh to make a couple of crucial saves.
Manolo made some attacking changes, bringing on Sahal Abdul Samad and Nandhakumar Sekar to increase the threat in the final third, but the Mauritian defence held on, much to the frustration of the Indians.
Comments
SHARE