Coach counts positives despite draw

A third draw in four matches with Manolo Marquez at the helm may not be much to look at, but the Indian football team head coach is convinced that the side will make the cut for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

In their only match in the FIFA international window, India came from behind to draw Malaysia 1-1 here on Monday. A howler from seasoned goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saw Paulo Josue put Malaysia ahead against the run of play in the 19th minute but Rahul Bheke cancelled out the lead with his 39th-minute header from a corner kick.

While expressing his disappointment with the result, Marquez had a positive outlook for next year, when the Blue Tigers begin their AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign. “We are disappointed not to win but I am sure we will qualify for the AFC Asian Cup. 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,” said Marquez.

While scoring goals is an area where they are still looking to improve, Marquez expressed his satisfaction with the team’s defence.

“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 said.

“The other good aspect is that the goal we scored was with a very good play. 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 added.

Marquez believes that his men have come a fair distance since his first assignment with the team when they played Mauritius (0-0) and Syria (0-3) in the Intercontinental Cup. “If you compare it with the Mauritius or Syria matches, this was one thousand times better. My opinion is that the improvement is there. The important thing is to score. At least we understand what we want to do. It’s correct that we have more room for improvement. We can and we will play better for sure,” he said.

One massive positive for the Indian team was that they gave four new faces their opportunities in the national team jersey — Irfan Yadwad, Hmingthangmawia Ralte, Jithin MS, and Vibin Mohanan, all of whom made their international debuts against Malaysia.