The Hindu : Sport / Football : Syria just too good for India

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Friday, Aug 24, 2007
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Syria just too good for India

Vijay Lokapally

— Photo: Sandeep Saxena

keen TUSSLE: Baichung Bhutia and Ali Dyeb in a midfield action.

NEW DELHI: Ajayan Nair promised a stirring Indian fightback with a spectacular strike ten minutes after he came in as a substitute but Syria held on to force a 3-2 win in the ONGC Nehru Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Thursday.

The goal by Ajayan, a long ranger that landed in the right corner from a 30-yard shot had come nine minutes from the end but the Syrians, having dominated until then, defended stoutly to force their third win and inflict the first defeat on the home team.

The Syrians played havoc after conceding the early goal. The moves, in brilliantly executed tactics, came in torrents. Speed was the driving force as Mahmoud Alzeno and Zyad Chaabo combined well to leave the Indian defence in a quandary.

Short passes, long passes, on the ground and in the air, the Syrians were in complete control. They had done their homework and the first lesson was to shut out the Indian midfield and starve Baichung Bhutia and Sunil Chettri upfront.

Fierce exchanges

Aatef Jenyat, who was a powerhouse of energy, and his sensational dominance in the midfield made the job easy for Chaabo and Maher Al Sayed. At one stage the desperate Indians tried the aerial route but it was not going to work against the nippy Syrians, who displayed exceptional trapping and control.

The stadium exploded in a frenzy of celebration when Chettri sneaked in to the right edge of the box to score with a flourish after receiving the ball from Climax Lawrence. That was in the 13th minute. The Syrian goalkeeper Mowssab Blahowss tried to narrow the angle but Chettri’s stinging drive trickled in off his desperate attempt to deflect the ball in.

Syria should have taken the lead when Alzeno was ideally placed to receive and score but Jenyat got overambitious and lost the ball to Mahesh Gawli, who cleared in time. India, however, could not hang on to the lead long and Syria came back roaring through a header by Khaled Albaba, who neatly placed a precise flag kick by Sayed.

The equalizer transformed Syria’s approach to the contest and India was reduced to defending its goal as Jenyat created opportunities from nowhere.

He began with a 35-yard pile driver that Subrata Paul rose and tipped over for a splendid save. Next Jenyat was guilty of selfishness inside the box. The Indian goal was under a siege and at the mercy of Alzeno. With the ball at his feet and Alzeno unmarked and ready to pounce, Jenyat shot himself instead of squaring for his partner.

At the stroke of half time, Sayed did not repeat Jenyat’s error and broke into the rival box before cannily finding ‘man of the match’ Chaabo. All Chaabo had to do was tap the ball in with all the time in the world.

Chaabo was the man again in the second half. This time he did not tap but unleashed a 30-yarder that swung over the hapless Paul. It was easily the goal of the tournament thus far.

India concentrated on keeping the margin down and sacrificed a midfielder to pack the defence. But the ball eluded Chettri and Bhutia as Syria crowded them out.

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