India held by Malaysia to 1-1 draw, end 2024 winless

India ended 2024 without a single win as their winless run extended to 11 this year. On Monday, November 18, Malaysia held Manolo Marquez’s side to a 1-1 draw in the FIFA International Friendly at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad. The last time the Blue Tigers could not win a single match in a calendar year was way back in 2014 when they played only two games.

After replacing Igor Stimac earlier this year, Marquez has to wait longer for his maiden victory as the head coach of the Indian team. He started his stint with a goalless draw against Mauritius after which Syria beat India 3-0. After a 1-1- draw against Vietnam, India had a chance to finish on a high against Malaysia, but did not have the last laugh.

Malaysia put India under pressure early after Paulo Josue gave his team a much-needed 1-0 lead. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu made an error in judgement. Gurpreet came off his line after a clearance from the Malaysian defence fell behind the Indian backline.

Gurpreet tried to jump and catch the ball, but could not. Josue made use of the chance, collected the ball and made a goal into an empty net. But in the 39th minute, India drew the equaliser after Rahul Bheke managed to found the net.

Brandon Fernandes shot in a powerful corner after which Bheke rushed in and pulled off a clean header to give India some breathing space. With 10 minutes left in the match, India faced a couple of scares thanks to 21-year-old Fergus Tierney, but they managed to survive the heat.

In the 82nd minute, Tierney, who made his debut for Malaysia in the friendly against Laos this week, hit the ball over the goalpost. In the extra time, Tierney produced another chance, but could not score the winning goal for Malaysia.

For India, the stadium in Hyderabad was packed with an attendance of 15,367, but the fans had to return empty-handed after the home team could not end the year on a positive note.