London, May 30: India’s Unity Cup campaign ended in disappointment as they suffered a second consecutive defeat, going down 0-1 against Zimbabwe in the third-place play-off here on Saturday.
A first-half penalty from Prince Dube (33rd minute) proved decisive as Zimbabwe secured third place, while India’s campaign ended without a goal.After losing 0-2 to Jamaica in the semi-final, head coach Khalid Jamil rang in four changes to his starting line-up.Vikram Partap Singh, Rahim Ali, Macarton Nickson and Ricky Shabong were handed starts, with the latter making his first appearance in the starting XI just days after making his international debut as a substitute against Jamaica.
India entered the contest hoping to finish the tournament on a positive note, and while the game remained evenly contested in the early stages, Zimbabwe enjoyed greater control and appeared more dangerous whenever they moved forward.In the fourth minute, a dangerous cross was whipped into the Indian penalty area, but Sandesh Jhingan reacted brilliantly to stretch out a leg and clear the danger.Zimbabwe continued to test the Indian defence.
In the 15th minute, Shane Maroodza found space down the left and delivered another inviting cross into the box, only for Jhingan to rise highest and head the ball away.
India will next travel to Tajikistan to play two friendly matches against the hosts on June 5 and 9. (PTI)
