Indian football team head coach Manolo Marquez expressed his dissatisfaction after missing the opportunity to secure his first win with the Blue Tigers against Malaysia, as the two teams played out a 1-1 draw at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad during Monday’s international friendly.

It was an end-to-end encounter throughout the 90 minutes, with both teams desperate to finish on the winning side. Paulo Josue opened the scoring for the visitors in the 19th minute, capitalizing on a defensive howler by Blue Tigers’ goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

However, Marquez’s men levelled the scoreline in the dying minutes of the first half, thanks to Rahul Bheke’s decisive header. Carrying forward his goal-scoring prowess from Bengaluru FC, Bheke brought India back into the game.

Significantly, this draw marks India’s ninth stalemate against Malaysia in their 33rd face-off.

Marquez seemed unhappy with another draw but remained optimistic about performing well in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualification fixtures next year.

“We are disappointed not to win, but I am sure we will qualify for the AFC Asian Cup in 2027. Now we have four months. I know that it's been a while since the national team has won a game, but we will win in March,” Marquez told aiff.com.

This is the third draw in four matches for the Spanish head coach since taking charge of the Blue Tigers in July. However, Marquez was pleased to observe the team's progress in implementing his style of play and maintaining their shape in both defensive and offensive phases, saying,

“On the positive side, I think that we pressed very well. We defended very well, particularly.”

“They didn't create chances till the last moment when they hit the post. The reality is that we created good combinations but not too clearly,” he added.

The India head coach praised his players for executing a well-planned set-piece movement that levelled the scoreline just before halftime.

Speaking in context, Marquez said, “The other good aspect is that the goal we scored was with very good action. All the players, not only the delivery of Brandon (Fernandes) and the header of Rahul Bheke but everyone in the set piece, did their job.”

“Obviously there are positive things, but we wanted to win, and it was not possible. But I am satisfied with the efforts of the guys and some things that we improved,” he further added, sharing his thoughts on the game.

The Spanish coach continued his trend of rewarding players for good performances at the club level with opportunities in the national team.

Irfan Yadwad, Hmingthangmawia Ralte, Jithin MS, and Vibin Mohanan made their national team debuts against Malaysia. Yadwad was handed his first-ever start, lining up alongside Lallianzuala Chhangte and Farukh Choudhary in the attack, while the other three were introduced as substitutes in the second half.

Shedding light on the debutants’ first impact and their overall performance, Marquez remarked, “The picture will be clearer in four months. But I am satisfied with the group that we have.”

“Obviously, it's difficult to say that this will be the group. But I am satisfied with the performance of some new players. For example, I think Irfan (Yadwad) played a good game. He's a player with a very good future,” Marquez concluded.

Related tags:

2024-2025