Telengana : Syria knocked out Mauritius 2-0 at GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium, Telangana in 2nd match of Intercontinental Cup 2024. They’ll play tournament decider on September 9 against India.
Mauritius had an early chance to open their accounts in 2nd minute of the match with Mathieu Aurelien’s low short from edge of the box. However, Syrian Goalkeeper Esteban Alejandro Glellel got down to save it, putting the Ball away.
Gradually after 16 minutes, Syrian attack started to gain momentum. Mauritius defense seemed to struggle gradually with possession dominance of Syria.
Syria’s incessant attacks bore fruit as it broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute. A poor pass at the back allowed Mawas to intercept the ball in the final third. He set up the ball for Sabbag who had made a good run behind the defence. Sabbag, with ample time and space found Mustafa Abdullatif, who rattled the net with a first-time finish. The ball took a touch off Mauritius midfielder Brendon Citorah but it was not enough to prevent it from going inside the net.
In 43rd minute Jason Ferre netted an equalizer for Mauritius, but the joy was cut short as referee ruled out the goal owing to a Hand Ball of Ferre.
In 2nd half, Mauritians started on the attack right from the second-half whistle. It got two chances in the 52nd and 56th minute, but neither Aurelien nor Yannick Aristide managed to convert their respective chances.
Louis Rita had a chance to score an equalizer in 60th minute with an assist of Jeremy Villeneuve, however, he skied the Ball above crossbar instead.
In 71st minute, Syria now confirmed their win with their 2nd goal. Mohammad Alhallak showed quick feet to keep the ball in a tight space and then had the vision to square it for his captain at the edge of the box. Mawas curled the ball into the top-right corner with an excellent first-time finish to score his 15th international goal.
Syrian defense didn’t allow any other goals to be scored in remainder of the match and comfortably claimed the top spot in the table earning 3 points.
Syria will now play hosts India on September 9, which will be the tournament’s decider.
