KUALA LUMPUR: Luck was not on Malaysia’s side after a 1-1 draw against India in a Tier 1 international friendly match at the Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad last night.
With the controversy of three Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) players returning early from national duty after a request made by JDT to release the players from the Harimau Malaya squad ahead of tonight’s clash still lingering on, the remaining boys came up with a positive performance as they managed to absorb the pressure and early cheer of the home team before taking the lead.
A mistake by Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who failed to clear Muhammad Azam Azmi Murad’s long-range pass outside the box, saw naturalised striker Paulo Josue calmly unleash a powerful shot into the net in the 19th minute.
The situation however, did not last long when Manolo Marquez’s India equalised after Rahul Bheke managed to get past the Malaysian defence to head in Brandon Fernandes’ corner kick in the 38th minute.
Both teams maintained their intensity well into the second half to seek another goal to extend their advantage and from one such attack, Daniel Ting came close from a tight angle but his attempt was saved by Gurpreet Singh.
A minute later, the Malaysian side was momentarily anxious when the Blue Tigers squad launched a quick counter-attack into the penalty box, but the opportunity failed to be converted by Lallianzuala Chhangte as his shot soared high.
The national team once again missed the opportunity to regain the lead after substitute Muhammad Safawi Rasid’s scissor kick in the penalty box was deflected off target in the 69th minute.
Luck was not on the side of Vicente’s men when substitute Fergus Tierney’s header only bounced off the post before Gurpreet Singh did brilliantly to save Muhammad Safawi’s follow-up shot in second-half extra time.
Last night’s result saw Malaysia successfully block India’s mission to take revenge after losing 2-4 in the Pestabola Merdeka 2023 action here.
For the record, Vicente made seven changes in his first team compared to when they beat Laos 3-1 in another Tier 1 international friendly in Bangkok last Thursday as the team prepare for the 2024 Asean Championship which is scheduled to start next month.
Malaysia, the 2010 champions drawn in Group A, will kick off 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 Singapore here on Dec 20. – BERNAMA
