The Indian men's football team ended the year without a win as they were held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Malaysia in an international friendly in Hyderabad on Monday, extending head coach Manolo Marquez's wait for his first victory with the Blue Tigers.
A howler from seasoned goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saw Paulo Josue put Malaysia ahead against the run of play in the 19th minute but Rahul Bheke cancelled out the lead with his 39th minute header from a corner kick at the Balayogi Stadium.
Going into the game, there was nothing to separate the two sides in head-to-head results with India and Malaysia having won 12 matches each and eight ending in draws.
However, it was the 125th ranked India that kept the bulk of possession in the early part of the game, seeking to crack the Malaysian defence even as the visitors looked to settle down.
Bolstered by the return of senior player and central defender Sandesh Jhingan after almost 10 months, the Indians looked to build from the back through short passes and put pressure on the Malaysian defence.
Marquez handed Chennaiyin FC's Irfan Yedwad his India debut and deployed him as the lone forward in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but his international inexperience showed as the 23-year-old striker struggled to outsmart his markers, as the hunt for the legendary Sunil Chhetri's successor continues.
However, for all their dominance, the home side conceded the match's first goal thanks to a blunder by Gurpreet who came off the line and left his post unguarded for Josue to tap the ball into an empty net after a clearance from the Malaysian defence.
The Indians did not lose heart and were on the lookout for the equaliser, which they found when Bheke headed in a corner kick taken by Brandon Fernandes. The goal came after winger Lallianzuala Chhangte won a corner on the right flank following a long ball by stopper Anwar Ali.
The second half began with hosts India looking revitalised after the much-needed equaliser.
Like in the beginning of the first half, India took control of the proceedings as play resumed after the break, with Chhangte delivering a fine cross into the box with plenty of India players hovering but the 133rd ranked Malaysians were up to the task as they thwarted the danger.
Both teams showed urgency to find the winner but were denied, with Malaysia coming close just before the final whistle.
The Indian coach gave chances to a lot of players who have been doing well for their respective clubs this season.
This was India's fourth match under Marquez. Prior to this game, India drew 0-0 with Mauritius, lost 0-3 to Syria in the Intercontinental Cup, and were held 1-1 by Vietnam in their last friendly match.
