India beat Syria to win Nehru Cup tournament

New Delhi, Aug 31(ANI): Defending champion India beat Syria by 5-4 in a penalty shootout in a thrilling final match to win the ONGC Nehru Cup football tournament held at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Monday.

The win came after a nail-biting finish as no goals could be scored in the normal time, and had to be decided on penalty shoots, where India missed just two shots, while Syria missed three of the seven shots.

Goalkeeper Subroto Paul was awarded the man of the match for his superb performance in the match.

Led by its star striker Bhaichung Bhutia, India entered the third consecutive final of the Nehru Cup and anticipations were high, as they had defeated Syria in the 2007 final.

Indian team had strikers in the form of Bhutia and Sunil Chettri, while Anthony Pereira, N.P. Pradeep, Climax Lawrence and Steven Dias handled midfield.

Defence was well held by Mahesh Gawli, Anwar, Gourmangi Singh and Surkumar Singh.

The tournament had been quite difficult for the home team, as they had won two and lost two league matches, including one against Syria. On the other hand Syria, with a strong defence, had won all their league matches. (ANI)