India U-23 men held to draw by Indonesia
New Delhi: The India U-23 men's national team was held to a 1-1 draw by Indonesia in their second friendly in Jakarta on Monday.
After a goalless first half, Korou Singh Thingujam (47') plut the Blue Colts in the lead, before Dony Tri Pamungkas (71') equalised for the hosts.
India had defeated the hosts 2-1 in the first match, following which, head coach Naushad Moosa made six changes to his starting lineup.
With an intent to avenge their defeat in the previous game, Indonesia pressed forward from the get go, but a spell of adept defending from the Blue Colts saw the match remain goalless for most parts of the first half.
Muhammad Rayhan Hannan's early shot was palmed away by India goalkeeper Dipesh Chauhan in the 10th minute.
Kakang Rudianto, from a set-piece, managed to leap higher than the rest and nodded a free-header goalwards. However, a flying Chauhan managed to put a hand out and tip it over the bar.
India waited for their opportune moments to launch the counter-attacks, and managed a good opportunity with Ricky Meetei flashing a venomous long-range shot perilously close to the Indonesia goal.
Minutes before the half-time whistle, Vibin Mohanan had a crack from the edge of the box, but it was saved by the Indonesia goalkeeper.
India started off much brighter after the change of ends, and took the lead within two minutes of the restart, when substitute Harsh Palande's low cross from the left found Korou unmarked inside the Indonesia box, and the latter tapped it in to put his side in the lead.
A minute later, Muhammed Suhail, who also came on as a substitute, weaved his way into the Indonesia box and had a crack, but it was punched away.
Indonesia had a sniff at getting an equaliser when Sumit Sharma committed a foul outside the India box. Dony Tri Pamungkas stepped up and sent the free-kick into the back of the net, to draw the hosts level.
Moosa made another slew of changes towards the end, which finally saw Priyansh Dubey come on to replace Chauhan in goal. The substitute goalkeeper also pulled off a stunning save in the closing minutes off a Rifqi Ray Farandi long-range effort.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
