India vs Malaysia Player Ratings: Anwar, Bheke shine as Gurpreet, Laine disappoint | International Friendly 2024

The Blue Tigers fought hard throughout the game.

India played out a 1-1 draw against Malaysia in their final international match of 2024 at the Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad on Monday (18 November). The Blue Tigers fell behind in the 19th minute after a mistake from Gurpreet Singh, who completely botched a clearance attempt, allowing Paulo Josue to score the easiest goal of his career.

India bit back with an equalizer from Rahul Bheke in the 39th minute, setting up an interesting second half. The Blue Tigers dominated much of the possession, but couldn’t get anything past the Malaysian backline after that and had to settle for their second straight draw under Manolo Marquez and end 2024 without a single win. Here are the Player Ratings from the game.

India (Preethi)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 5

Probably one of team India’s weak links in the game. Despite saving a couple of shots Gurpreet’s tactic of trying to save the ball while in the final third proved costly to the Blue Tigers as it resulted in Strumer Dos being able to score the goal freely. 

Rahul Bheke – 7.5 

Rahul Bheke’s brilliant goal was the equalizer that brought the momentum back to team India. Was substituted by Valpuia in the second half.

Anwar Ali – 8

He was strong in the air, good at tackling, and made important clearances. His ability to read the game and anticipate the opponent’s moves was impressive as he even had a goal-line clearance. He was the heart of the defence and undoubtedly one of the best performers of the game.

Naorem Roshan Singh – 6.5

Roshan put in a decent performance on the left flank. He was defensively sound, making important tackles and interceptions. 

Sandesh Jhinghan – 7

Sandesh Jhingan who returned to the national team after a long time had a pretty decent performance. Despite the layoff, he displayed a strong performance, showcasing his defensive skill.

Suresh Singh Wangjam – 6

While he showed glimpses of his potential, he could have been more influential in the game. His passing accuracy was inconsistent, and his decision-making at times lacked clarity.

Brandon Fernandes – 7

His ability to win back possession and distribute the ball effectively was crucial in maintaining control of the midfield. Was one of the best midfielders in the game 

Irfan Yadwad – 7

Irfan Yadwad who made his debut today was constantly creating chances to penetrate through Malaysia’s defence. 

Lallianzuala Chhangte – 6.5

He displayed impressive pace and skill, beating his defenders with ease. He delivered dangerous crosses into the box but nothing solid could be made out of it 

Apuia Ralte – 6.5

Apuia put in a strong performance, breaking up play while shielding the defense effectively. His physicality and tenacity were crucial.  However, his tendency to commit unnecessary fouls could have been avoided.

Farukh Choudhary – 6.5

Farukh Choudhary wasn’t as shiny as he was in the game against Vietnam But His accurate crosses and well-timed passes created opportunities. 

Substitutes

Valpuia – 6

Today’s match marked the debut of Defender Valpuia. Came in for goal scorer Rahul Bheke and made a positive impact entering the game. Despite limited playing time, he displayed solid defensive skills.

Manvir Singh – 6.5

Manvir replaced Chhangte in the second half. He displayed good ball control and helped to maintain possession in the limited time. 

Jithin MS – 6

He made a promising debut, showcasing glimpses of his potential. His energetic runs and willingness to take on defenders were a fresh treat to watch.

Edmund Lalrindika – N.A

He had limited time to make an impact. While he displayed some positive intent, he had limited performance 

Liston Colaco – N.A

he had limited time to influence the match. While he showed flashes of pace, he had very limited time to make an impact.

Malaysia (by Uttiyo Sarkar)

Syihan Hazmi – 6.0

Hazmi was sharp with recovering possession and distributing the ball. Made a few nice saves but could hardly do much about the goal.

Muhammad Azam Bin – 7.0

Azam Bin was alert and proactive at the right, neutralizing Farukh Choudhary’s threat and making some crucial challenges. Got a lucky assist for Josue’s goal.

Dominic Jun Jin – 7.0

Jun Jin accompanied his captain strongly in the backline. Maintained utmost concentration and timed most of his challenges to perfection.

Dionjohan Cools – 8.0

The Malaysia captain was in cruise control and held together a great defensive line. He read the plays perfectly to make a large number of clearances, frustrating the hosts. Moved the ball around with confidence too.

Daniel Ting – 7.0

Daniel had a shaky start and looked nervous early on. But he recovered strongly, narrowing the spaces for Chhangte and making important clearances.

Nooa Laine – 5.0

Laine struggled to win the midfield battle or stop India’s movement through the central channels. Couldn’t really impose authority with his challenges and also lost the mark of Bheke for his goal.

Stuart Wilkin – 6.5

Wilkin was quite energetic and smart with his work in midfield, recovering possession a large number of times. He also passed the ball forward for some promising transitions, but couldn’t create anything major.

Sergio Fabian Aguero – 5.5

Sergio started the game in a sharp fashion to create some early threat. But he mellowed down as things moved forward, failing to create major chances and being isolated.

Muhammad Haqimi Azim – 6.5

Azim showed impressive pace on the right, troubling Roshan Singh with his blistering runs. Sent in a few inviting crosses but ultimately wasn’t rewarded.

Muhammad Akhyar Rashid – 5.5

Rashid linked up nicely with his teammates and made a few nice dribbles, but lacked execution in the final third.

Paulo Josue – 7.5

Josue was a threat to the Indian defenders with his clever off-the-ball movement and ability to get a few shots on goal. He was gifted the easiest goal ever by Gurpreet’s error and had some promising chances after that thwarted.

Substitutes

Mohamad Fazrul Amir – 6.0

Amir made a few nice runs through the left, but couldn’t do anything to break India’s defensive resolve.

Muhammad Safawi Bin – 6.5

Safawi bin was quite energetic and lively in the wide areas and almost scored a wonder overhead bicycle kick after coming on.

Fergus Tierney – 6.5

Fergus was a real livewire in the final stages of the second half. Troubled the defenders with his link-up play and had a shot go astray. Hit the post with a nice header in added time.

Harith Haiqal – 6.0

The defender helped to add more steel to the Malaysian backline and ensured they didn’t concede the second goal.

Muhammad Safwan Bin – 6.0

Safawi showed bits of spark with his speedy runs in the final stages, but couldn’t create anything big.

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