Akhil Rawat
AIFF Media Team

BHUBANESWAR: Aiming to regain Hero Intercontinental Cup title, the Indian senior men's team will take on Lebanon in the final on Sunday, June 18, 2023, at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar at 19:30 IST.

The match will be broadcast and streamed live on Star Sports 2/HD, Disney+Hotstar and Jio TV.

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 the Blue Tigers have come to play in an international tournament in the Odisha capital. Now, only 90 minutes or possibly penalties, against a tough Lebanon side stand between Igor Stimac's men 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.

But then, there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. Here, there's 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,” said Stimac, pleased with how India handled the game overall, minus the finishing. “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 a calm Igor at the pre-match press conference. "Our boys are playing with great faith, and we need to keep supporting them so that they keep rising.”

Goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, who also dons the gloves for local club Odisha FC, received loud cheers every time he's had to make a save or has had his name announced before kick-off. Representing the nation at his current home Kalinga Stadium is a remarkable feeling for the 30-year-old.

“Since I belong to Odisha FC, playing in front of my fans is very special for me,” he said. “It's great to have Sandesh (Jhingan) and Anwar (Ali) in front of me as they give me a lot of confidence. As a goalkeeper, communication is always necessary, and it's easier with them since I don't have to speak a lot. We all have a very good understanding,” said Amrinder, who has kept a clean sheet in each of his last three matches for India.

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 with the intention to win the game. We're not going to sit back and wait. It will be a different game than Thursday,” said Stimac.

The Croatian also gave his assessment of Aleksandar Ilic’s Lebanon, explaining that India cannot 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 dished out 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 have 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 in 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.