Although a third draw in four games under Manolo Marquez’s leadership may not seem like much, the head coach of the Indian football team is certain that the squad will qualify for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.

At Hyderabad’s GMC Balayogi Gachibowli Stadium on Monday, India overcame a deficit to tie Malaysia 1-1 in their lone game of the November 2024 FIFA International Window.

Marquez was disappointed by the outcome, but he was optimistic about the team’s chances when the Blue Tigers start their AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying campaign the following year.

Although we are unhappy not to have won, I have no doubt that we will advance to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. We have four months now. We will win in March, even though I am aware that the national team hasn’t won a match in a long time,” Marquez said.

Marquez said he was happy with the team’s defense, even though they still want to become better at scoring goals.

“On the plus side, I believe we did a great job pressing. In particular, our defense was excellent. It wasn’t until they struck the post at the final second that they created opportunities. In actuality, we made several solid combos, but they weren’t very obvious.

The second positive is that we scored the goal thanks to a very well-executed move. Every player on the set-piece performed their duties, including Rahul Bheke’s header and Brandon Fernandes’ delivery.

“There are undoubtedly good things, but we wanted to win, and we couldn’t. However, I am happy with the lads’ efforts and some of the improvements we made,” Marquez said.

Since his debut game with the national team, when they faced Mauritius (0-0) and Syria (0-3) at the same location (Hyderabad) in the Intercontinental Cup, Marquez thinks his squad has made good progress.

“This Malaysian match was a thousand times better than the ones in Mauritius or Syria.” We could have won, and Malaysia could have won with the last opportunity.

“In my view, there has been progress. Scoring is the most essential thing. We know what we want to accomplish, at least. The fact that we can do better is accurate. Without a doubt, we can and will do better than we did today,” the head coach said.

The Indian squad’s decision to give four fresh players a chance to wear the national team jersey—Irfan Yadwad, Hmingthangmawia Ralte, Jithin MS, and Vibin Mohanan—was a huge plus. All four players made their international debuts against Malaysia on Monday.

“In four months, the image will become more apparent. However, I am happy with the group we have. It’s hard to predict that this will be the group, of course. However, I am pleased with a few new players’ performances. Irfan (Yadwad), for instance, performed well in the game, in my opinion. He’s a player who has a bright future,” he said.