First goal under Manolo Marquez & other talking points from Vietnam vs India

The Indian football team had a good game & definitely earned the draw.

The Indian Football team played out an entertaining 1-1 draw against Vietnam away from home. India began the game on the strong foot and created the first chance of the game from a corner. But Vietnam’s keeper stood tall and cleared it away before Farukh Choudhary brought Filip Nguyen into action from a shot from outside the box. 

A few minutes later, Rahul Bheke brought down a Vietnamese forward inside the box and gave away a penalty. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stood up to the occasion and saved the penalty to keep his side in the game. Vietnam continued to create chances but failed to get their shots on target. 

Farukh and Brandon Fernandes combined really well inside the opposition box before Choudhary tested the keeper again. Vietnam broke the deadlock late in the first half by scoring past Gurpreet from a corner kick. The keeper did extend himself and almost prevented the ball from going in before Nguyễn Hoàng Đức put it in the back of the net.

India came out all guns blazing in the second half and secured an equalizer. Suresh Singh set up Farukh Choudhary in the 53rd minute and the latter did not disappoint. The Blue Tigers created a lot more chances in the final half but failed to capitalize on them. It is by far the most inspiring performance from India since Manolo Marquez has taken over.

Let us take a look at the talking points from the game.

India’s first goal under Manolo Marquez 

It was a game of two halves where Vietnam dominated the first 45 minutes and India took charge of the final half of the game. It took three games for India to score a goal under the tutelage of Manolo Marquez, but better late than never. Farukh Choudhary came back into the national team and put his name on the scoresheet. He has made it to the history books by scoring the first goal for the Blue Tigers under the Spanish head coach. 

Anwar Ali’s performance

Anwar Ali put up a great performance against Vietnam despite all the heat that he has faced over the last few months. He formed a formidable partnership with Rahul Bheke in the heart of the backline and kept the Vietnamese forwards in check. He put in crucial tackles and challenges. The player won the ball cleanly in crucial junctures of the game before pulling off a goal-line clearance in the dying minutes of the game to deny Vietnam a second goal.

Farukh Choudhary – The Hero

Farukh put up a show worthy of a standing ovation. He marked his return to the national team setup with an outing to remember. The Chennaiyin FC man became the first forward to score a goal for India under Manolo Marquez when he scored the equalizer against Vietnam. He kept on trying his luck and troubled the home side a lot for as long as he was there on the pitch. Choudhary was undoubtedly India’s best player on the pitch and has repaid Manolo Marquez’s trust in the best possible way.

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