Hyderabad
Syria started its 2024 Intercontinental Cup campaign on a high, beating Mauritius 2-0 at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium here on Friday.
With torrential downpour in Hyderabad ahead of the clash, the pitch did not offer the best playing conditions. It was filled with water, which resulted in the ball not moving smoothly across the pitch, affecting the match’s tempo in the early minutes.
It was Mauritius, which had the first sight at goal in the second minute. Surging forward in numbers, Mathieu Aurelien connected well with his low shot from the edge of the box. However, Syrian keeper Esteban Alejandro Glellel got down to quickly palm the ball away.
Pegged back into its half in the early minutes, Syria started finding a rhythm after the first quarter, with quick one-touch passes leading to the Mauritius players chasing the ball.
The possessional dominance led to Syria’s first chance in the 16th minute. While tracking back, the Mauritius defence seemed exposed, allowing Pablo David Sabbag to set up captain Mahmoud Al Mawas for a shot. However, Mawas’ low shot from the right side of the box did not trouble Mauritian keeper Jean Louis Kevin O’Brian, who collected the ball without a fuss.
The Eagles of Qasioun started to mount pressure and the Les Dodos defence started to crack.
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.
To Mauritius’ credit, it stuck to the script of attacking Syria’s final third. In the 43rd minute, the Mauritius bench broke into celebration after thinking their team had found the equaliser. Jason Ferre headed home Emmanuel Rudy Jean’s cross from the right but the celebrations were cut short as referee Harish Kundu, after consulting with his assistant, cancelled the goal, saying the ball had touched Ferre’s hand before going inside the net.
Trailing by a goal, the 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.
The big chance, however, came in the 60th minute. Jeremy Villeneuve cut in from the left and his curler from the edge of the box struck the underside of the crossbar. Louis Rita had the chance to find the empty net from the rebound but skied the ball above the crossbar.
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The Syrians added salt to the wounds of the Mauritians for that missed chance ten minutes later by grabbing their second.
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.
Mauritius head coach Guillaume Moullec brought down striker Adrien Francois in the 84th minute for a late push but the Eagles kept a compact defence to see the match out and grab the clean sheet.
With this win, Syria goes to the top of the standings with three points and will play its second and final match against India on September 9, which will serve as the tournament decider.
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