India and Lebanon share points in goalless draw at Intercontinental Cup

In a closely contested match, India and Lebanon settled for a goalless draw in the Intercontinental Cup football tournament. Despite missed opportunities from both sides, the result had no impact on their places in the final of the four-nation tournament. India's head coach Igor Stimac opted for a lineup change, resting key players including Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, while Sandesh Jhingan took on the captain's role.

The match saw early chances for India, with Anirudh Thapa failing to convert a perfect delivery from Chhetri within the first five minutes. Another opportunity went begging as Ashique Kuruniyan's shot went straight to the Lebanese goalkeeper. With both teams squandering chances, the first half ended goalless.

The second half saw limited opportunities, and despite substitutions made by both teams, neither could break the deadlock. The match briefly encountered a delay when the floodlights went off for a couple of minutes. Ultimately, the final whistle blew with the scoreline unchanged.

India had a promising start to the tournament, securing a 2-0 victory over Mongolia in their opening match, followed by a 1-0 win against Vanuatu. Lebanon also began on a positive note, winning 3-1 against Vanuatu before drawing 0-0 against Mongolia.