KUALA LUMPUR, NOV 19 – Luck was not on Malaysia’s side after a 1-1 draw against India in the Tier 1 international friendly match at the Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad last night.
The Harimau Malaya squad, which was embroiled in controversy with three Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) players released ahead of the clash, came up with a positive performance when they managed to absorb the home team’s initial pressure and pressure before being in front.
India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s blunder failed to clear Muhammad Azam Azmi Murad’s long ball outside the penalty area, which saw naturalized striker Paulo Josue calmly fire a shot into the unguarded goal in the 19th minute.
That position did not last long when Manolo Marquez’s India equalized after Rahul Bheke managed to break through the national defense to head in Brandon Fernandes’ corner kick in the 38th minute.
Both teams maintained the same intensity entering the second half in an effort to add more goals, seeing Malaysia succeed in making a dangerous move, but Daniel Ting’s solid shot from a difficult angle was deflected out by Gurpreet Singh.
A minute later, the national goal was worried for a moment when The Blue Tigers squad launched a quick counter-attack into the penalty box, but the opportunity was not well saved by Lallianzuala Chhangte as his shot went high.
The national team once again missed the chance to regain the lead after substitute Muhammad Safawi Rasid’s scissor kick in the penalty box missed in the 69th minute.
Luck was not for Vicente’s men as substitute striker Fergus Tierney’s header rattled the post before Gurpreet Singh brilliantly saved Muhammad Safawi’s follow-up shots, each in second-half added time.
Tonight’s result saw Malaysia succeed in blocking India’s mission to take revenge after losing 2-4 in the Merdeka 2023 Pestabola action.
For the record, Vicente made seven changes in his starting line-up compared to when he beat Laos 3-1 in another Tier 1 international friendly action in Bangkok, last Thursday.
This month’s action against Laos and India is Vicente’s field to prepare the team for the 2024 ASEAN Championship scheduled to start next month.
Malaysia, the 2010 champions drawn in Group A will begin their campaign against Cambodia in Phnom Penh on Dec 8, followed by Timor-Leste here (Dec 11) before facing defending champions Thailand in Bangkok (Dec 14) and visiting Singapore here on 20 December. – Named
