India fail to break Mauritius' deadlock, settle for stalemate in Intercontinental Cup opener
Hindustan TimesManolo Marquez's stint as Indian football team's head coach began with a goalless draw against lower-ranked Mauritius in the Intercontinental Cup opener here on Tuesday. Manvir Singh heads the ball during the Intercontinental Cup 2024 football match between India and Mauritius. The failure to make the third round of 2026 World Cup Qualifiers still fresh in memory, which led to the unceremonious exit of former coach Igor Stimac, India, placed as many as 55 spots above 174th-ranked Mauritius, failed to find the back of the net and once again left their fans disappointed. In the 34th minute, striker Manvir Singh was sent through on goal by Anirudh Thapa and he challenged the Mauritius goalkeeper Kevin Obrian with his left-footed strike, but the custodian was up to the task and pulled off an important save.