India aim for successive Nehru Cup title

lovish

NEW DELHI
: Aiming for a title hat-trick under coach Bob Houghton but hampered by lack of international match exposure, defending champion India
Nehru Cup
will bid for a second consecutive Nehru Cup, taking on Lebanon in a tricky opener of the five-nation tournament on Wednesday.

Under Houghton, India won the 2007 edition of the Nehru Cup before clinching the AFC Challenge Cup at home, which gave the country a berth in the elite AFC Asian Cup, to be held in Doha in January 2011, after 24 years.

The Nehru Cup will give Houghton a chance to test his boys how they measure up to at least two quality sides -- Syria and Lebanon -- who are now vying for a place in the Asian Cup.

Bhaichung Bhutia and Co. are a confident lot after a seven-week training tour of Dubai and Barcelona. They played friendly games against Spanish third division sides in their month-long sojourn in Barcelona where they used top class facilities at Nou Camp.

The sore point though would be the lack of international fixtures. The Indians played their last such match in January though Houghton claimed that the Spanish third division sides "were of our level".

Houghton himself picked last edition runners-up Syria as the favourites to win the tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium, considering that the West Asians are inside top 100 in FIFA rankings at 95th and have beaten sides like China besides drawing Korea this year.

The Indian side would be more or less the same as that of the 2007 edition with the exception of striker Sunil Chhetri who is yet to recover from his right ankle injury though Houghton is hoping the Delhi lad will be fit for the later part of the tournament.

This gives young Sushil Kumar and tall Mumbai forward Abhishek Yadav the chance to be in the playing XI more often along with captain Bhaichung Bhutia upfront as has been done in the friendly games in Barcelona.

East Bengal captain Syed Rahim Nabi has also been tried by Houghton as a striker in Spain.

With the 2011 Asian Cup in mind, Houghton has also indicated that he may start with younger legs in deep defence and in that case taller players Gouramangi Singh and Anwar may be seen in action.

In the midfield also, Houghton is likely to field the younger Anthony Pereira at left wing more often than senior player Renedy Singh who has had minor injuries in recent times.

In fact, Renedy was tried at the right wing position in four friendly games in Barcelona as Steven Dias' substitute.

With the absence of Chhetri, talismanic captain Bhutia will have to find more goals for India besides trying to once again inspire his side to title victory.

The Sikkimese said his ongoing tussle with Mohun Bagan on his suspension issue has distracted him in the preparations of this tournament.

But having said that he will have to put his distractions aside and try to motivate his teammates in front of the home crowd in a country virtually starved of international football matches.

More than 20,000 people came to the Ambedkar Stadium in the final against Syria on August 29, 2007 to cheer the home team, which won 1-0.

Exuberant fans celebrated wildly and Bhaichung and Co. would want to see similar scenes here again on August 31.

Teams:

India: Subrata Pal, Arindam Bhattacharya, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Govin Singh, NS Manju, N Mohanraj, Anwar, Deepak Mondal, Mahesh Gawli, Surkumar Singh, Gouramangi Singh, Samir Naik, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Baldeep Singh Jr, NP Pradeep, Renedy Singh, Syed Rahim Nabi, Steven Dias, Clifford Miranda, Anthony Pereira, Jagpreet Singh, Climax Lawrence, Rakesh Masih, Sunil Chetri, Baichung Bhutia, Sushil Kumar Singh, Abhishek Yadav.

Lebanon: Lary Mehanna, Elias Freije, Ali Al Saadi, Ahmad El Khodor, Hussein Amine, Bilal Cheikh El Najjarine, Ali El Atat, Hamze Abboud, Mohamad Baker Younes, Mohamad Korhani, Amer Khan, Abbas Ahmad Atwi, Hussein Dakik, Ali Yaakoub, Hassan Daher, Akram Moghrabi, Mahmoud El Ali, Hassan Maatouk, Mohamad Ghaddar, Ali Hamam.

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AwayFromHome

BIG yawn. India is not even on the slimmest of world horizons in football.
Who cares?

shahronakm

Bad start to the campaign
Lose 1 - 0 to Lebanon.

Ronak.

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mridula

My nephew went to watch the match yesterday and he had to buy season tickets because the tickets for the match were over!

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Travel Tales from India

shahronakm

That's good. Indians to love to watch football when India is playing.

Ronak.

lovish

I DO.... what India needs is a thorough look in the pool of soccer talent it contains... sadly the best players who could compete Europe don't even know that they an play Soccer because they are busy in stupid cupid Cricket... India will make to the world cup one day.... just wait and watch

AwayFromHome

I hope you are right in your prediction.

And T20 is certainly 'stupid cupid cricket'.

Test Cricket is NOT.

We Indians have a huge disadvantage in terms of physical size and muscular build. Maybe this generation of Indians (who seem to be taller, stronger and fitter in general) will be able to make a dent in the international football scene.

Till then, Test Cricket is IT for me.

bonded

India has completed a hat trick of wins in the Nehru Cup beating Syria.

Well done India.

vinayverma

Hmm..
did you watch the match..it looked 'fixed'....India had to win...the body language was saying it all..
I'll be the happiest person if u tell me I'm wrong in my observations.

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bonded

Just happened to watch the penalties at the end.

mridula

But which channel was showing it? My nephew saw it in the stadium came home around midnight so have yet not asked his experience. He now has a banner from the tournament in his room!

AwayFromHome

Didn't see it - no interest whatsoever.
Mind you, those who do - please enjoy.
There was an article in today's paper that India has "THE WORST" national football team in the world. I don't doubt it.

And Vinay, you may very well be correct in your observation.

lovish

Actually u will not find a single person in India who hates Cricket and surely i am also included in Cricket lovers... but what i feel is that Cricket is really spoiling other sports in India... its getting so much focus here that every other sport is left untouched... India has the talent to win a olympic Gold in baseball because of so much Cricket talent but the case is same here... no one ever focused on baseball

though i am happy that Soccer is getting a little bit recolonization in India... i loved the Final and the way India won.... it was just great to see


now i am looking forward to the Commonwealth Games.... I hope India will make to the top 3... my Fingers are crossed...