Intercontinental Cup Final: Tough Lebanon stand between India and glory (preview)

Bhubaneswar, June 17 Aiming to regain the title they last won in 2018, the Indian senior men's football team will take on Lebanon in the final of the Intercontinental Cup at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday with their hopes high after some superb performances.

India had clinched the inaugural tournament in 2018, beating Kenya 2-0 in Mumbai. However, the hosts ended up in last place in the previous edition in Ahmedabad in 2019, which was won by DPR Korea.

The return of the competition after four years in Bhubaneswar has also marked the first time that India are playing an international tournament in the Odisha capital. With their hopes high after an undefeated campaign, Igor Stimac's men have a tough Lebanon side between them and the trophy.

India finished top of the standings at the end of the group stage with seven points and no goals conceded, registering wins over Mongolia (2-0) and Vanuatu (1-0), and a draw with Lebanon (0-0). The Cedars were also held goalless by Mongolia after beating Vanuatu 3-1 in their opening game.

Having played out a goalless draw in the league phase, the match could be decided in penalties and the Ind are braced for a tough challenge from Lebanon.

But as there is many a slip between the cup and the lip, the Ind are not taking things lightly and can't afford to be complacent in the final.

There is very little to separate the two sides in the FIFA Rankings. India at 101 are only a couple of spots below 99th-placed Lebanon, and Thursday's goalless draw underlined their evenly-matched calibre. Stimac, however, believed his side was the better one and deserved the victory.

"It could've been a nice win. It didn't happen, but this is the way we need to go," head coach Stimac, pleased with how India handled the game overall minus the finishing, was quoted as saying by AIFF in a story on its website. "Importantly, we are pretty solid as a unit at the back. The goals will come," he assured.

"I would be worried if we were not creating chances, but that hasn't been the case," said Stimac at the pre-match press conference on Saturday. "Our boys are playing with great faith, and we need to keep supporting them so that they keep rising."

Having already gotten a feel of their opponents just three days ago, Stimac anticipates another testing game against Lebanon, but one with more intensity and determination from his boys. "We will go out on the pitch from the very first minute to win the game. We're not going to sit back and wait. It will be a different game than Thursday," said Stimac.

On the Lebanon side coached by Aleksandar Ilic, Stimac said India can't afford to relax even for one bit during the match.

"Lebanon have 4-5 players with great experience of playing abroad. They are a very technical side with good passing. As a unit, we did well in the previous game and need to do that again tomorrow. They can hurt us with their individual quality, so we can't allow them to come near our goal," warned Stimac.

His counterpart Ilic said they have plenty of respect for the Blue Tigers and Indian football in general. "I'm positively surprised about the Indian team. They've done an amazing job over the last ten years, and Indian football looks a lot different now. In this tournament, India has rotated heavily in every game, but the value the players bring to the pitch hasn't changed," said the Serbian.

Lebanon conducted an extended pre-season in Antalya, Turkey, before their month-long tour to India, where they will also participate in the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru. The Cedars last won an international trophy way back in 1964 in the Tripoli Fair Tournament, and Ilic is now hoping to end that wait for silverware in India.

"The majority of our squad is young and does not have a lot of international experience at the senior level, so I am really proud of my players for making it to the final. We want to make history for Lebanon as we are going to play a final game after 59 years," said Ilic.

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