India drew Malaysia 1-1 in a FIFA international friendly at the Maidaan in Gachibowli, Hyderabad on Monday, 18 November. While Paulo Josue gave Malaysia the lead in the 19th minute owing to a silly mistake by India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the hosts equallised via defender Rahul Bheke’s headed goal in the 39th.
Coach Manolo Marquez will not be too displeased with his wards’ showings given that they are still getting used to the ideas and philosophies he wants to introduce them to. Although he would have liked a win, his decision to rotate the players must be seen in positive light for the future of Indian football.
Most heartening to see was Marquez’s willingness to give debuts to Irfan Yadwad, Jithin MS, Vibin Mohanan and Valpuia, while sticking with Farukh Choudhary in the front line. His faith in the holding midfield duo of Suresh Singh and Apuia too paid off as they dictated the way India wanted to play this game.
In this piece, we take a look at the three key takeaways for India from this game:
#1 Gurpreet Singh Sandhu‘s unusual form
It goes without saying that India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s school-boyish error is the one that made the most headlines in this game. With a long ball coming in from the right side of Malaysia’s midfield, Sandhu made the poor judgement of coming in too far off his line, only to allow it to bounce over his tall frame and fall into the waiting laps of Sturmer Paulo Josue.
The latter wasted no time whatsoever in tapping the ball into the empty net even as Sandhu kicked the air in frustration and the rest of the Indian players fell in a heap in disappointment. The over-15,000 crowd at the Maidaan were reduced to pin-drop silence as few could believe what they had just seen.
The 32-year-old’s form has been on the decline for quite some time now, and it remains to be seen for how long coach Marquez will back him for the number one spot and continue to treat Amrinder Singh and Vishal Kaith with sheer injustice.
Sandhu gave the crowd a mini heart attack again in the 65th minute when he slipped while attempting to take a backpass from Roshan Singh, but recovered at the last moment and headed towards safety.
#2 Rahul Bheke’s improved performance at right-back
Apart from the goal Bheke scored to equalise for India in the 39th minute, his improved performance at right-back was noteworthy. The Bengaluru FC man ensured that he marked his opponents tightly and found the time and space to make runs forward in order to supply the Indian forward line with juicy balls.
Bheke’s goal was one right out of the top drawer, in which he pounced onto Brandon Fernandes’ floated ball from the left corner, evaded his marker and headed it past the Malaysian goalkeeper Syihan Hazmi. Marquez will be pleased with the way Bheke improvised in this game and provided him with a safe option at right back after Asish Rai was ruled out with an injury.
#3 A new centre-forward duo
Playing in a conservative 4-4-2 formation after a long time, India saw a blooming partnership between Irfan Yadwad and Farukh Choudhary. Coach Marquez has often emphasised upon the need to unearth new Indian strikers, and this game saw him stick to his guns.
Yadwad and Choudhary were brought into play by the artistic Fernandes on more than one occasion, with Lallanzuala Chhangte also putting in his two pence when asked to do so. Suresh Singh and Apuia showed their skill both with and without the ball in the centre of the park, and the Chowdhary-Yadwad duo was directly affected by the former’s munificence.
Chowdhary made a lot of good runs in the final third behind the Malaysian backline, while Yadwad’s confidence and composure on the ball was inspiring. Marquez did not take the duo off until the 80th minute, showing his faith in their skill-set.
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