The final round-robin match saw India lose to Syria, but the result was inconsequential as both teams had one eye on the final.
Syria will go into the Nehru Cup final unbeaten, after running out 1-0 winners over defending champions India in the final round-robin match on Saturday.
With both teams already assured of a place in the final before kick-off, the coaches chose to rest several first-team players ahead of the all-important title showdown. The changes probably contributed to the disjointed play as India once again conceded from a set-piece, Ali Dyab getting the only goal of the game.
Buoyed by the boisterous crowd support, India had started on a stronger note, attempting to catch the Syrian defence off-guard by pressing forward quickly. But the visitors slowly took control of the match, and unlike India, made it count by grabbing the opening goal. Ali Dyab was left free in the box as the Indian back-line was guilty of poor marking, and the Syrian defender was perfectly placed to head in a corner by Moutaz Kaildni in the 18th minute.
Syria looked more comfortable after their goal and went close on a couple of other occasions. The Indian defence, meanwhile, continued to look shaky, even as the impressive Subrata Paul prevented the Syrians from increasing their lead in the first half.
Gouramangi Singh gave the ball away in the box in the 30th minute, but Raja Rafe's powerful shot was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Paul. The resulting corner saw the Indian defenders go missing again, but Abdul Fatah Alaga's free header went just wide.
India created a few openings as well, but the final ball was missing as Abhishek Yadav and Sushil Kumar Singh struggled up front. Mehrajuddin Wadoo had two decent chances, but his 13th-minute header went wide of the near post, while the midfielder missed another excellent chance in the 39th minute, heading well over when it would probably have been easier to score.
NP Pradeep came on as the second half began, even as the crowd made their feelings loud and clear, calling out for Bhaichung Bhutia. But Bob Houghton was unmoved, and India continued to work hard without any clear-cut chances to show for their effort.
Stand-in captain Renedy Singh saw a 30-yard free-kick parried away in the 55th minute by the Syrian second-choice keeper, Kawa Hisso, while the post stopped Pradeep's header in the 67th minute after another stunning free-kick from Renedy.
Both coaches gave some key players time in the middle towards the end, India bringing on Steven Dias and Sunil Chhetri, while Mohamad Alzino came on for Syria. But the visitors kept a clean-sheet with ease, and will go into the final having yet to concede in the tournament.
India, on the other hand, have let in a goal in every match they have played so far. However, even though Syria looked stronger as the match went on, the final will no doubt be a different proposition. The Indian crowd will get behind their team again, and despite this result, the signs are looking good. Incidentally, in the 2007 Nehru Cup, India lost to Syria in a group-stage encounter, before going on the win the final. How Ambedkar Stadium would love a repeat come Monday!
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