India Beat Mongolia In Blue Tiger's First International Fixture In Odisha At 2023 Intercontinental Cup
India started off their Intercontinental Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Mongolia.
The 2023 Intercontinenal Cup commenced at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday with the hosts taking on Mongolia in their opening game. It was a momentuos occasion for the Blue Tigers who were playing their first international match in Odisha. To mark the historic event, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was in attendance. He met the two teams during the line-up and conveyed his best wishes for the fixture. AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey and Secretary General Shaji Prabhakaran were also present for the match.
"It delights me to see Odisha once again welcome a marquee football event at the iconic Kalinga Stadium. This exemplifies Odisha's dedication to establishing itself as a prominent football hub in India. I am confident that the participating international teams will have a remarkable experience competing at this venue. Football enthusiasts from Odisha will have the opportunity to witness an exceptional display of the sport," CM Patnaik said.
Delighted to inaugurate #HeroIntercontinentalCup at the iconic #KalingaStadium. I am sure, the participating international teams will have remarkable experience at the venue & football enthusiasts will witness fine display of the sport. Best wishes to the teams. #OdishaForSports pic.twitter.com/vwD5w2eknB
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) June 9, 2023
Notably, Odisha has been investing in the development of the sport of football over the last few years. The FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup was also held here in October 2022. It was the same stadium which has already hosted several national level tournaments and leagues already.
Talking about India's opener at the 2023 Interncontinental Cup, a goal each from Lallianzuala Chhangte and Sahal Abdul Samad ensured that India get off to a winning start in this competition. They beat Mongolia 2-0 in their tournament opener. Sahal scored the opening goal for the Blue Tigers in just the second minute of the match after Mongolia keeper Enkhtaivan did get a touch but couldn't stop the ball from finding the back of the net when Sahal scored a shot on the rebound on the cross from Anirudh Thapa.
Not much later, Chhangte doubled the lead and scored what turned out to be the decisive goal. Sandesh Jhingan’s header from a corner was blocked but the ball couldn't clear the box after which Chhangte added to the goals tally from a point-blank distance to allow India to clinch all the three points.
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