India vs Malaysia: Despite their best efforts, the Indian football team exits the competition after a contentious 4-2 loss to Malaysia. The Blue Tigers have suffered because of poor officiating and a pitch that was full of holes. For Stimac’s team, it along with two shots that struck the crossbar, proved to be highly expensive. Mahesh Singh Naorem and Sunil CHhetri found the net for Igor Stimac’s men. However they fell short.
India XI:
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Sunil Chhetri, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Sahal Abdul Samad, Rohit Kumar, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nikhil Poojary, Mehtab Singh.
Malaysia XI:
Sythan Hazmi, Matthew Davies (C), Dominic Tan, Faisal Halim, Darren Lok, Arif Aiman, Endrick, Nooa Lane, Akhyar Rashid, Dionj Cools, Corbin Ong
India vs Malaysia preview
India come to the tournament with a clear eye on the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The qualifiers begin next month where Blue Tigers will face Kuwait and 2022 hosts Qatar. However, India is battling with injury concerns ahead of the match against Malaysia. Anwar Ali, Manvir Singh, Brandon Fernandez and Subhasish Bose are all set to sit out the game.
Indian coach Igor Stimac talked about Friday’s opponents ahead of the encounter. Stimac claimed the hosts have the advantage going into the tie, but said there is enough in the Indian artillery to surprise Malaysia. “I believe it’s advantage Malaysia in the first game. Obviously, they are on their home turf and have had a good run here, but we are here to spring a few surprises against them,” said Stimac ahead of the game.
Malaysia has played a host of friendly games since coming off a defeat in the SAFF Championship semi-final against against Thailand. The hosts have played 9 matches since then, winning six of them and losing only one. With the support of the home crowd behind them, Kim Pan-gon’s men will be looking to go on and lift the trophy. It is also worth noting that the hosts lead India in the head-to-head record. Malaysia has played India 24 times, winning 10 and drawing 7.
India vs Malaysia Match Details
- Date: 13th October 2023
- Venue: Bukit Jalil National Stadium
- Kickoff: 6.30 PM IST
- Live Streaming: India vs Malaysia Live Streaming in Merdeka Cup will be on AIFF’s Facebook page.
- Live Telecast: IND vs MAL in Merdeka Cup Live telecast will be on Eurosport.
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