Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023: Three key battles that can decide India-Vanuatu tie

This is the first-ever senior meeting between India and Vanuatu.

The Indian national football team will play their first-ever competitive match against Vanuatu in their second group game of the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023. The Blue Tigers have never faced the Asian side in their history and will aim to maintain their impressive momentum in the tournament with another win.

Vanuatu suffered a damning loss to Lebanon in their first match but did manage to put up a decent fight by restricting them to no goals in the first half. They were ultimately undone by the tough conditions and set pieces but will consider this loss as a lesson for them going forward. Igor Stimac’s side cannot take Vanuatu lightly even if they might be the proverbial ‘whipping boys’ of the completion.

This should be an action-packed, unique contest in which only the most ruthless and sturdy team will prevail. The match should have some fascinating duels that ultimately decide the outcome too, as we look at the key battles for this clash.

3. Jordy Tasip vs Anwar Ali

Jordy Tasip didn’t even get to start Vanuatu’s opening game against Lebanon, but showed an impressive desire to contribute for his side after he was brought on early in the game. Tasip displays decent movement and game-reading ability, scoring his side’s equalizer with a clinical finish. The number nine seems to be a smart, conniving forward who will look to cause trouble in the final third with his sneaky style.

Anwar Ali will probably have a harder time in this one than he did against Mongolia, but he is known for being a brilliant man-marker who is well aware of the danger around him. The centre-back needs to maintain utmost focus and not let his concentration levels drop, as he’ll need to track Tasip properly and make key challenges to frustrate him – ensuring that India gets to keep another clean sheet from this one.

2. Sahal Abdul Samad vs Lee Tawia

Samad Abdul Samad is soaring in the attacking midfielder role under Igor Stimac and impressed against Mongolia with a goal-scoring return. He has shown the ability for being able to link up really well with teammates, as well as create big chances with his smart passes. Sahal has a huge chance to further consolidate his place in Stimac’s team with a dominant performance against Vanuatu.

He will, however, probably face stiff competition from the opposition midfielders – especially the gritty Lee Tawia. The Vanuatu midfielder is known for having decent defensive skills and dropping deep to frustrate opponents. Samad needs to nail his off-the-ball runs and be precise with his innovative passes to make things happen, while he’ll also aim to make smart runs into the box and maintain his goal-scoring threat for the Blue Tigers.

1. Ashique Kuruniyan vs Raoul Coulon

After being benched in the first game, Ashique Kuruniyan is likely to start for India against Vanuatu. He should operate from his natural left-wing role and aim to cause chaos with his surging runs through the left. The Mohun Bagan winger will need to be at his most accurate because he could expect some tough marking from Vanuatu right-back Raoul Coulon. With the visitors playing with a highly defensive style, Ashique will not have the freedom to burst through in counter-attacks with few defenders to go up against. He’ll need to be ready to test his quality against a packed backline and use his quality to undo Vanuatu’s backline.

That includes timing his runs better, making use of his impressive dribbling and most importantly – nailing his final third passes or shots on goal to make a difference. Ashique knows that he doesn’t have as big a chance to start for India in the upcoming Asian Cup as he did in the 2019 edition, so the winger needs to work hard and start producing major goal numbers to be in contention to feature in Qatar.