Hyderabad: India-Malaysia ends with 1-1 draw in friendly football match

Hyderabad: The international friendly match between India and Malaysia at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday, November 18, ended in a 1-1 draw.

Both goals were scored during the first half of the match. Malaysia took the lead with Paulo Josué first. Defender Rahul Bheke equalised for India later.

India, ranked 125th in the latest FIFA men’s team rankings, maintained the bulk of possession against Malaysia, which is eight positions below. India gave a tough fight to the Malaysian defense in the initial stages of the game.

The Indian team maintained possession by initiating attacks via short controlled passes from the defensive line, which eventually put pressure on the Malaysian team. The return of veteran centre back, Sandesh Jhingan, after a ten months long break, strengthened the defence further.

Coach Manolo Marquez introduced Chennaiyin FC’s young striker Irfan Yedwad giving him his first appearance for the national team. The lone striker had to face difficulties with putting up against the Malaysian defence.

The Indian team’s wings had launched multiple attacks into Malaysia’s attacking third, kicking off a strong start. Lallianzuala Chhangte was particularly effective, posing a constant threat with his pace and skill.

The match’s first goal came through an error from the Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. In the 19th minute, Sandhu came off his line to collect the ball while mistaking a clearance from the Malaysian defense. The ball landed short and bounced over him, leaving him stranded. Josué utilized this misstep to score an open goal into an empty net.

Despite the earlier difficulties, India found a breakthrough shortly before half-time. With just over five minutes remaining in the first half, Brandon Fernandes delivered a well-placed corner kick, a set-piece opportunity from the corner of the field.

Bheke capitalized on the delivery by leaping up and directing the ball into the Malaysian goal with a header. This goal helped India stabilise its position. The second half saw more cautious efforts to take charge of the game from both sides. However, neither teams could rattle the opposing goalposts.

But in the last minute, the game of luck played in when Fergus Tierney came close to scoring a goal in added time as he headed a perfectly delivered cross from the right wing only to strike the goal post. He sent it wide of the goal, which made Malaysia lose by a narrow miss.

India struggled throughout the match to find a consistent goal scoring force emptied by Sunil Chhetri’s retirement.

This marks India’s fourth match under Manolo and the 12th consecutive win-less campaign in their last 12 international football matches. The skirmish with Malaysia was the last match of the Indian men’s football team in the calender year of 2024. Previously, India drew 0-0 with Mauritius, lost to Syria in the Intercontinental Cup with a 0-3 score, and were held 1-1 by Vietnam in their last friendly match.

India’s latest victory came previous November against Kuwait in the World Cup Qualifiers with a 1-0 win.

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