India head coach Manolo Marquez was elated as the Blue Tigers snapped their winless streak of over a year with a win against Maldives on Wednesday.

The Indian football team showcased an impressive performance in their friendly against Maldives, held at the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong. The match, which concluded with a solid 3-0 victory for India, was also the team’s first victory under Marquez.

The 3-0 win not only was a boost to the team's morale but also served as a significant step in their preparations for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers fixture against Bangladesh.

India started strong right from the first whistle, demonstrating their intent to control the game. The early exchanges saw the Indian team dominating possession, creating chances, and utilizing their speed and skill on the flanks. The opening goal came in the first half via Rahul Bheke, who headed home from a Brandon Fernandes corner, setting the tone for the rest of the match.

As the match progressed, India continued to press forward, effectively exploiting the spaces left by the Maldivian defence. The second half saw continued dominance from India’s relentless pressure and yielded another goal by Liston Colaco, a beautifully taken set-piece that caught the Maldives' defence off-guard.

Maldives struggled to respond to India's attacking wave, and the Indian defence remained resilient, thwarting any attempts from the visitors to make a comeback. As the match approached its final stages, India secured their third goal courtesy of Sunil Chhetri. A result of relentless attacking play and strategic positioning secured a commanding 3-0 win.

Marquez shared his initial thoughts after securing his first victory as India head coach with the Blue Tigers going winless in their previous four games under the Spaniard.

"When you win a game, you are always happy. You can play well or not, but at least, after I don't know how many games, it's important to get a win," he said during the post-match press conference.

"We expect to win (against Bangladesh). If it's 3-0, it's better, but we expect to win. We know that it will be a tough game against Bangladesh. Because for me there is no easy game. There is no easy game.. I think, I feel that will be a difficult game for both, for them also," he stated.

Marquez underscored the significant value of securing this particular victory, especially considering it marked the Indian team's first triumph in more than a year. He focused on the psychological impact of the win, explaining that, despite India scoring just one goal from open play, the overriding objective was to finally bring the long winless period to a definitive close.

"The thing is that it's not about if it's tough or not. The thing is that we didn't win one game for more than one year. Everyone was speaking about this and I think that the players deserve this win. I think nobody can say that it's not fair, our win today," he said.

"All the goals were with the head and two of them with set pieces. And yeah, you can play better, but if you don't play a great game and you win 3-0, it's a good score," ne added.

India begin their AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign on Tuesday with a clash against Bangladesh. Drawn in Group C, the Blue Tigers will also face Hong Kong and Singapore.

"Always when you win, even if it's with the head, scoring with the head in the last minute, always you have more confidence. But obviously, we need to know again that it will be a difficult game. But not because it's Bangladesh. Because Bangladesh or if it will be Hong Kong or Singapore, all games will be very tough. We know that there are six finals and now let's go for the first," Marquez revealed.

Fernandes was stretchered off in the first half after assisting Bheke’s opener. Marquez confirmed that the midfielder will miss the game against Bangladesh and expressed disappointment over other injuries suffered before the Maldives match.

“No, for sure, Brandon won't be available. Yes, we will call someone. We will cover Brison, who was in the stands today. But let's see which player. It’s really bad luck that we lost three players in the last game in ISL, plus Manvir the other day during the break session, and today, Brandon," Marquez said.

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2024-2025