India Held to a Stalemate by Mauritius in Intercontinental Cup Opener

In a tightly contested opening match of the Intercontinental Cup 2024, India was held to a 0-0 draw by Mauritius at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on September 3, 2024. The result left India frustrated, as they dominated possession but were unable to break down a well-organized Mauritian defense.

The fixture marked the debut of Manolo Márquez as India’s head coach, and the Spanish tactician saw his team control the tempo for much of the game. However, India, ranked 99th in the world, struggled to find the cutting edge against the 179th-ranked visitors. 

Despite an encouraging start, where the home team saw more of the ball, the lack of clinical finishing proved costly in a game of few clear-cut chances.

Both sides managed only one shot on target each over the course of 90 minutes, reflecting the lack of offensive sharpness.

India began the match on the front foot, buoyed by an enthusiastic Hyderabad crowd that was seeing the Blue Tigers play for the first time in 16 years. Early on, India looked dangerous from set pieces, with Anirudh Thapa’s sixth-minute corner nearly leading to an opener. The delivery narrowly missed Chinglensana Singh’s head at the far post after a flick from Manvir Singh.

Mauritius, under head coach Guillaume Moullec, played a more cautious game, sitting back and waiting to pounce on counter-attack opportunities. While they didn’t press aggressively, the visitors looked threatening whenever they found space. 

In the 20th minute, Indian fullback Asish Rai slipped, gifting Yannick Aristide a chance to send a low cross into the box, though no Mauritian forward was on hand to finish. Shortly after, Quentin Lalsing fired a 30-yard effort at Indian goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, but it was a comfortable save.

As the game progressed, India began to apply more pressure, with Asish Rai and Lallianzuala Chhangte creating problems for Mauritius on the right wing. The breakthrough nearly came in the 35th minute when Thapa’s pinpoint pass found Manvir Singh, whose shot forced a sharp save from Mauritius goalkeeper Kevin Jean-Louis. 

Mauritius had their own moments, and Emmanuel Vincent came closest for the visitors with a powerful first-time shot that flew just over the crossbar in the 37th minute.

Looking for more attacking impetus, Márquez introduced Sahal Abdul Samad and Nandhakumar Sekar at halftime. Within a minute of the restart, Chhangte’s cross caused problems for Jean-Louis, but the Mauritian goalkeeper managed to gather the ball at the second attempt. 

Mauritius, however, began to grow into the game after the break. They tested India’s defense, with Jérémy Villeneuve setting up Lalsing for a promising chance in the 54th minute, but the shot went wide. Substitute Aurélien François also missed two key opportunities to put Mauritius ahead, as he headed wide from a cross and later skied a close-range effort over the bar.

Despite these moments of danger, India’s defense held firm. However, Mauritius was equally resolute at the back, frustrating India’s forwards and denying them space in the final third.

In the final 15 minutes, India ramped up the pressure as substitutes Suresh Singh Wangjam and Subhasish Bose added more energy. Nandhakumar came close to setting up a goal in the 79th minute, but Mauritius defender Dyllan Collard cleared his cross just before it reached Chhangte. The resulting corner saw Sahal chest the ball down on the edge of the box, but his off-balance volley sailed over the crossbar.

India continued to press for a winner, with Sahal finding Nandhakumar at the top of the box with a clever cross, but a last-ditch tackle from Mauritius defender Jordan François denied him the chance to shoot.

Ultimately, Mauritius held on for a valuable point. Their captain, Lyndsay Rose, was named Player of the Match for his commanding performance at the back. AIFF President Shri Kalyan Chaubey presented Rose with a cheque of Rs. 1,00,000 for his efforts.

Following the stalemate, Mauritius will face Syria on September 6, before India takes on Syria in a potentially crucial match on September 9. Both teams will be looking for a victory to improve their chances of progressing in the tournament.

While the Indian side showed promise under their new coach, they will need to find more precision in front of goal if they are to challenge for the Intercontinental Cup title.