Syria’s victory gives India hope of final spot

Tournament favourites Syria maintained their clean slate in the ONGC 14th Nehru Cup as they knocked Lebanon out of the tournament courtesy their 1-0 win at the Ambedkar Stadium on Thursday.

Updated on: Aug 27, 2009, 23:22:26 IST

Hindustan Times | By HT Correspondent, New Delhi

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Tournament favourites Syria maintained their clean slate in the ONGC 14th Nehru Cup as they knocked Lebanon out of the tournament courtesy their 1-0 win at the Ambedkar Stadium on Thursday.

While Mohamad Alzino's 23rd minute strike put the Syrians in the title-clash, Lebanon never looked like posing any sort of threat to their opposition.

Alzino, after receiving Ahmad Haj Muhmad's cross from the left, shot the ball past Lebanese goalkeeper Elias Freije. Down by a goal, Lebanon tried their best to find the equaliser but failed in their attempt.

The altercation that took place between Syria's Alaa Alshbli and Lebanon's Mohmoud EL Ali later in second half may have reminded of the famed rivalry between the two West Asians nations, their game hardly looked impressive.

The result is favourable from India's point of view. A win or a draw against Syria on Saturday will see them through to the final, provided Sri Lanka lose to Kyrgyzstan on Friday. Goal difference will come into equation if both India and Sri Lanka win their respective matches.

Sri Lanka might have a chance if India lose to Syria by a huge margin and similarly Sri Lanka beat Kyrgyzstan. But that looks bleak at the moment.

Stay updated with the latest scores, results, and headlines from us sports, wwe, football, tennis, hockey, and other sports. Follow live action, big tournaments, and top players across all major leagues on sports by Hindustan Times.