Indian football team head coach Manolo Marquez felt his side deserved at least a point after a hard-fought defeat to Hong Kong in their AFC Asian Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

India suffered a heartbreaking 0-1 defeat at the Kai Tak Stadium, conceding a stoppage-time penalty in the 94th minute. Substitute Stefan Pereira stepped up and made no mistake from the spot, sealing the result for the hosts.

The Blue Tigers gradually found their rhythm as the match progressed and came closest to scoring in the first half. Liston Colaco whipped in a precise cross across the face of the goal, which Ashique Kuruniyan met with a well-timed run, only to send his shot wide of the mark.

While India struggled to create any clear-cut chances in the second half, they nearly found the lead in the dying moments. Lallianzuala Chhangte’s cutback fell perfectly for substitute Sunil Chhetri, but his goal-bound effort was blocked.

Head coach Marquez felt that the outcome might have tilted in India’s favour had they taken the lead first.

“I think that the game was practically without (clear) chances. The most clear chance was for Ashique in the first half. One action in the injury time. Clear penalty.. Two teams were fighting without too many chances. Both teams defended with order and one action (and they scored). This is football. I seriously feel that a fair score was a draw or if we scored the clear chance, let’s see. But if you score before, you know in these kinds of games, it's very important,” Marquez said in the post-match press conference.

The defeat leaves the Blue Tigers with only a solitary point from their opening two fixtures in Group C. Elsewhere, Singapore edged past Bangladesh 2-1 in Dhaka to move to the top of the standings. Hong Kong sit second, also on four points, while Bangladesh and India trail in third and fourth place.

“I was speaking to the Bangladesh coach in the first game. He has three years of coaching experience in Bangladesh. He told me that this group is very, very equal and he told me before our game. It was 0-0. Singapore, Hong Kong was 0-0. Today (against Hong Kong), the goal was in the last action of the game. I think there will be very difficult games but I still think that India has the possibility to qualify,” Marquez explained.

The Blue Tigers will return to action in October when they take on group leaders Singapore, aiming for a crucial win to keep their qualification hopes alive. While Marquez’s men have shown defensive resilience, conceding just once across two games, the lack of goals at the other end remains a pressing concern with India yet to find the back of the net in their AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign.

“I cannot say anything negative about the players.. The attitude was there, the plan of the game was there. In some moments I felt we could have played better with the ball and be more brave. But this is about the situation that the team is not winning and the players are a little nervous. In some actions where the pass is clear, we are a little nervous,” Marquez expressed.