Marquez Decries ‘Harsh Reality’ of Indian Football After Stalemate with Bangladesh in Shillong
Shillong: In a frustrating outcome for Indian football supporters, the national team battled to a goalless draw against Bangladesh during an Asian Cup qualifying match on Tuesday. Hosted at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong, the Blue Tigers failed to overpower a Bangladesh side ranked 59 places below them in the FIFA standings, despite several scoring chances.
Indian head coach Manolo Marquez was visibly upset following the match, labeling himself “angry and disappointed” with the squad’s lackluster effort. He pointed to an early scare, just five seconds into the game, when goalkeeper Vishal Kaith’s error nearly handed Bangladesh the lead. “When you start a match and face a chance like that within five seconds…” Marquez remarked, trailing off before adding, “I am very angry, disappointed with everyone. I don’t have words for this poor performance.”
The game saw India dodge multiple bullets as their defense was repeatedly tested, yet they couldn’t convert their own opportunities into goals, resulting in a stalemate. Marquez noted a lone bright spot in Liston Colaco’s work on the left flank but stressed it wasn’t enough to lift the team. “This is not enough. Maybe this is the reality of Indian football,” he said, his words tinged with frustration.
This draw marks another low point in a string of lackluster performances for the Indian men’s team, which has been sliding since 2023 without a single victory in 2024. The team’s struggles prompted the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to replace former coach Igor Stimac, who had led the side since 2019, with Marquez. The situation grew so dire that veteran striker Sunil Chhetri reversed his retirement decision from nearly a year ago to aid India’s push for a third straight Asian Cup berth. Despite netting his 95th international goal in a prior 3-0 win over Maldives, Chhetri couldn’t unlock Bangladesh’s defense, even with a golden chance late in the game.
Reflecting on the aftermath, Marquez described the post-match press conference as one of the toughest in his career. “If you ask me, maybe today is the most difficult press conference in my career because I don’t want to say all the things that are in my head in this moment,” he admitted. “We played a bad game and that’s all. In the second half we tried, but not enough.”
Elsewhere in Group C of the Asian Cup third-round qualifiers, Singapore and Hong Kong mirrored India’s result with a goalless draw in their matchup. India, currently the highest-ranked team in the group at 126th, will take on Hong Kong next on June 10.