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Indian men’s football coach Manolo Marquez said the dressing room felt like a funeral after a 0-1 loss to Hong Kong but remains hopeful about qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Indian men’s football team head coach Manolo Marquez (AIFF)
“The dressing room is like a funeral (site),” said Indian football head coach Manolo Marquez, as he tried to explain the 0-1 loss to Hong Kong. Despite the setback, he remained hopeful about the team’s prospects of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
India conceded a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time on Tuesday, resulting in their second consecutive goalless match in the Asian Cup qualifiers and jeopardising their qualification chances.
“…we are not very happy. We are sad. The dressing room is like a funeral, practically,” Marquez remarked when asked about the team’s future, emphasising that it was not the right time to focus on that.
“…But I still think that India has possibilities to qualify,” he asserted during the post-match press conference.
Ranked 26 places higher than Hong Kong in the FIFA rankings, India suffered due to poor finishing and a lack of composure in crucial moments. They missed a golden opportunity in the 35th minute when Ashique Kuruniyan misjudged a delivery and missed from close range.
“The game is easy to speak. Two teams fighting and that’s all. Without too many chances. I think both teams defended both with order and one action. This is football,” he said, struggling to articulate the performance.
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India now has just one point from two matches in Group C. With only the group winners advancing to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, the road ahead is challenging.
“…we are not in a good moment. In terms of scores, it’s difficult for us to score. But it’s true that the team played with more order than in other games. This is true. But, unfortunately, we couldn’t get any points here,” Marquez lamented, expressing regret over not settling for a draw.
“I repeat again, it’s for me a very equal game and unfortunately for us, practically in the last action, we lost at least one point and Hong Kong have three points. I told in the dressing room, obviously we want to win.
“But sometimes the team doesn’t know how to draw. And today, if you couldn’t win the game before the minute 90-91, at least try to be in a position to avoid the defeat. But I feel that India is still in the fight.”
When asked how India can resolve their scoring issues, the coach gave an honest assessment.
“Sometimes you never know. One day, this is not a problem of the national team, it’s in clubs also. Sometimes there are four, five, six games that you don’t score and suddenly you score three-four goals and you score However, he steered clear of criticising individual players but conceded that at times, nerves are getting the better of them.
“I cannot say nothing negative about the players. I think that the effort was there, the attitude was there, the plan of the game was there. In some moments, I feel that we can play better with the ball and be more brave,” he said.
“But this is about the situation that the team is not winning and the players are a little nervous. In some actions that the pass is clear, we are a little nervous,” he admitted.
Since taking over from Igor Stimac last year, Marquez has managed eight matches with only one win – a 3-0 friendly victory over Maldives. India has drawn four and lost three matches, including both crucial Asian Cup qualifiers. The team has scored just five goals and conceded nine, failing to score in their last three outings.
(With inputs from PTI)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket, having cov…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket, having cov… Read More
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