India and Malaysia played out a 1-1 draw in their final FIFA Friendly of the year at Gachibowli Stadium on Monday, with India dominating the proceedings for much of the match.
In an action-packed first half, India found themselves trailing in the 19th minute when a freak goal allowed the visitors to take the lead through Paulo Josue, as per a release.
Taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, Manolo Marquez’s side increased their offensive pressure and found the equalizer in the 39th minute. Defender Rahul Bheke’s powerful and accurate header off a corner crashed into the net, leaving goalkeeper Hazmi Bin with little chance to react.
A FIFA-friendly match is always fiercely contested, and the 33rd encounter between the two old Asian rivals was no different on Monday. While India aimed for a win in their final international of 2024, Malaysia, under Spanish coach Pau Marti, sought tactical dominance on the pitch with clever positional interchanges. Overall, the match had all the ingredients for an entertaining spectacle for the 15,000-strong crowd.
Marquez had his strategy in place and played his cards accordingly. He handed a senior international debut to striker Irfan Yadwad, with seasoned players Lallianzuala Chhangte and Farukh Choudhary joining him up front.
The Indian coach saw this as an opportunity to test his new resources on the international stage. After all, this was India’s last match before they headed into the more significant challenge of the Asian Cup qualifiers in March. He also handed international caps to three more debutants — Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Jithin MS, and Vibin Mohanan — during the match.
The coach later mentioned that he wasn’t entirely satisfied with the pace of the game but felt his team had the potential to perform better.
With comeback player Sandesh Jhingan wearing the captain’s armband, the Blue Tigers made repeated inroads into the Malaysian half. However, the early goal against them threw their plans into disarray.
In the 18th minute, a long ball into the Indian box caught the slightly advanced defense off-guard, but there was no reason for panic. However, anxiety gripped the ground when goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu rushed out of the box and missed the flight of the ball. As the ball rolled freely inside the area, Malaysian striker Paulo Josue simply jogged in and tapped it into the goal. More than just a goal, it was a blow to the hearts of Indian fans.
Thankfully, India responded immediately, launching several attacks to repair the damage. The much-awaited equalizer came six minutes before halftime. Brandon Fernandes’ corner kick from the right landed with pinpoint accuracy, and as Jhingan pulled away from his marker, Rahul Bheke delivered the crucial header, much to the relief of the partisan crowd.
India’s Brandon Fernandes was named the Player of the Match.