Marquez sees hope at the end of a dismal year for Indian national team

On its knees: The Indian team failed to win a game in 2024.
| Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

A delightful header by Rahul Bheke off a nicely set corner from Brandon Fernandes fetched the equaliser that helped India hold the visiting Malaysia to a 1-1 draw and ensure that the senior men’s National football team did not suffer another loss.

With six losses and five draws to its credit, India finished the year without a win.

What started as a season of promise for it turned bleak by the end of the year. With its FIFA ranking at a creditable 99 at the end of 2023, India dropped to 125 ahead of its meeting against Malaysia.

Starting in January, India lost all the Asian Cup main draw matches and then failed to qualify for the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers. This drastic fall saw the exit of the Croatian World Cupper Igor Stimac and the arrival of Spain’s Manolo Marquez as his replacement.

The draw against Malaysia was the fourth game under Marquez, where the Indian coach managed three draws and a loss. This winless record came to haunt the national side exactly after a decade. It last happened in 2014 when India just played two matches without any success. 

“We are disappointed that we could not win in the last few matches but I am hopeful that we will win the moment when we need to win,” Marquez said after the Malaysia match.

The Spanish gaffer was referring to the National team’s next big target, which is qualifying to the 2027 Asian Cup.

“We have four months for the qualifiers. I know it has been a while since the national team won a game but I am completely sure that the team will qualify for the Asian Cup in 2027,” Marquez said.

Having tried various combinations in a bid to find the right balance in the squad, Marquez said the team is gradually adapting to the style he wants to play.

“In my opinion, there is improvement. The team is beginning to understand the kind of football we want to play,” Marquez said while looking ahead to the Asian Cup qualifiers scheduled to start in the final week of March 2025.