61’ GOAL - IND 2-4 MAS
MALAYSIA DOUBLES THE LEAD! Corbin scores
60’
Free kick for Malaysia. Faisal takes it. He sends in a high cross that fails to find anyone
57’
Chhangte gets the ball inside the box and shoots, the ball takes a deflection off Ahmad and it looked like it went inside before a a clearance from Cools. But the referee thinks otherwise. Stimac along with the Indian contingent is furious and understandably so as replay shows the ball indeed went inside!
55’
Another potential goal scoring chance wasted by Malaysia! An unmarked Faisal got the ball inside the box but before he took his shot, three defenders rushed towards him
51’ Goal - IND 2-3 MAS
INDIA PULLS ONE BACK AS SKIPPER CHHETRI TAPS IT IN! Mahesh puts on a lovely run on the left side, changes the line of play and finds Chhangte on the right inside the box. The latter sets up Chhetri perfectly near the post and the Indian skipper taps it in! Muted celebrations from the 39-year-old as he knows there’s still work to do
50’
Corner for Malaysia as Darren’s cross is deflected out. Endrick will take the corner, sends in a curling cross, Darren heads it but fails to keep it on target
47’
Arif and Darren continue to pressure India’s backline. The Blue Tigers are finding it difficult to take the ball to the other half. Just as we speak, Faisal gets the ball near the box and tries his luck from outside but the ball is nowhere near the target
Second half underway
A quick team huddle is called by Chhetri and Jhingan as the Blue Tigers look to achieve the improbable. A lot of work to do for the blues.
Malaysia gets the ball rolling. No change of personels from either sides
Half-time
With that, the first 45 minutes come to an end. Igor Stimac’s men have faltered defensively and Malaysia has capitalised on all those chances. A mountain to climb for the Blue Tigers in the second half
45+2’
Malaysia is relentless. This time Arif gets a dangerous ball inside the box but there are just too many blue outfits inside. The Malaysian tried his luck with a weak shot but Gurpreet saved it with ease
42’ GOAL - IND 1-3 MAS
FAISAL DOUBLES THE LEAD! Mehtab gave away possession after Arif pressured him. The latter then sent it inside the box towards Faisal, who slotted it home past Gurpreet without much trouble
42’
Jhingan finds Sahal near the box with a wonderfully worked lofted ball but the latter is caught offside
40’
Sahal gets the ball on the left flank and tries to find someone inside the box via a lofted ball but Davis is there to clear it away
38’
Corner for India as Suresh’s cross is deflected away by Arif. Sahal serves it inside the box but Endrick heads it away
37’
Yet another defensive error from India as Ahkyar gains ball control near the box. He tries to take it in but Suresh does well to recover the ball
35’
And the trend continues. India is still struggling to find openings. Akash tried to create a chance from a run on the left flank but an affressive defending from Dominic kept him at bay
32’
Malaysia, with its high pressing, has kept India inside its own half for a good couple of minutes. A sedate passage of play for the Blue Tigers
30’
WHAT A MISS! ARIF MISSES AN EASY CHANCE! Arif was at the right place at the right time as he pressed Akash into giving away possession at the edge of the box. Arif took it in and it was just Gurpreet between him and a two-goal lead but he somehow finds a way to squander it as he shoots it just past the far post
28’
Corner for Malaysia. Cools takes it and serves in a low-kept cross, tricky yet again. It eludes a couple of defenders before the ball is cleared away
26’
This contest has been as interesting as it can get. Very little to separate both the sides
23’
Superb backheel from Akhyar right at the edge of the box. Darren sees the opportunity and takes the shot but Gurpreet makes light work of it. India under constant pressure
22’
Endrick is dispossessed on the right. Nikhil puts on a run on the same flank and floats it in towards Mahesh. The latter hesitates before a shy at goal but he gets stopped eventually
20’ GOAL - IND 1-2 MAS
Arif Aiman SCORES AS MALAYSIA TAKES THE LEAD! Malaysia re-establishes control once again. Grupreet dived correctly but the shot went past him like a bullet
19’
PENALTY FOR MALAYSIA! Poojary clips Darren’s heels inside the box, silly challenge. The referee didn’t hesitate one bit on his decision
17’
Faisal yet again initiates a Malaysian attack, takes the ball deep into India’s half and backheels it into the box but Jhingan clears
15’
Davis and Faisal team up to take the ball near the box, putting India under pressure. But Arif marked his man to perfection to allow Akash to clear the ball away from danger
14’ GOAL - IND 1-1 MAS
GAME ON!! MAHESH VOLLEYS IT IN TO RESTORE PARITY! Superb run from Poojary on the right flank to set up Chhangte, who crossed it into the box, Mahesh runs towards the ball to finish it to perfection!
12’
Gurpreet’s kick goes deep inside the Malaysian half, Chhetri chases it but the ball proves too fast for the Indian captain as Ahmad gloves it with ease
11’
After dominating the initial minutes, India finds itself on the backfoot after a surprising goal from the opposition. Work to do for the Blue Tigers
7’ GOAL IND 0-1 MAS
EARLY BREAKTHROUGH FOR THE HOME SIDE AS THEY SCORE FROM THE CORNER! Dionjohan Cools finishes on the volley! Endrick was the one who served a tricky ball into the box, that evaded three Indians to land in front of Cools
7’
Arif Aiman gets the ball on the left inside the box, he takes it close quarters and tries to find the back of the net from an awkward angle but Gurpreet has no trouble parrying it. Corner for Malaysia
5’
India gets dispossessed after Gurpreet’s serve. Davis finds Faisal outside the box and the latter tries to find a black outfit inside the box but there’s no one to recieve it
4’
Faisal gets the ball inside the box but before he could do anything, Akash ran towards him to challenge and get the ball away. Goal kick
2’
Drama right from the start! India backtracked for a bit before Gurpreet served it to Akash on the left flank. He runs from one end to another within moments and sent it inside the box. The ball curls quite a bit as Rohit gets it outside the box and tries his luck from outside and HE RATTLES THE POST!
Match underway
India starts from right to left
Almost there
The players are making their way into the field amidst fireworks. Malaysia in an all black outfit while India is sporting its usual blue. India’s national anthem plays first
Full-house
The Blue Tigers are set to play in front of a packed crowd, supporting the home side. The fans might actually act as a 12th man for Malaysia, such is the reception at the Bukit Jalil Stadium
Lineups!
India: Gurpreet, Jhingan, Akash, Suresh, Chhetri, Chhangte, Abdul Samad, Rohit, Mahesh, Nikhil Poojary, Mehtab
Malaysia: Ahmad Syihan, Matthew Thomas, Tan Jun Jin, Faisal, Darren, Arif, Endrick, Nooa, Muhammad Akhyar, Dionjohan, Corbin
For the first time since 2001
The Blue Tigers have been runners-up twice in the Merdeka Tournament. Their last appearance was in 2001 when they lost their matches against host Malaysia (1-2), Thailand (0-2), and Uzbekistan (1-2).
Minutes away from live action
Form guide
India: W-W-W-W-L
Malaysia: W-W-W-W-D
PREVIEW
In search of its first title win in the Merdeka Tournament, a confident Indian football team will look to spring a surprise on in-form host Malaysia in the opening game, here on Friday.
The Merdeka Tournament, also known as the ‘mini Asia Cup’ this year will feature only three teams — Tajikistan being the third — as strife-torn Palestine had pulled out of the event at the last minute.
In fact, the winner of the clash between India and Malaysia will take on Tajikistan in the final on October 17.
While India’s last appearance was in the Asian Games wherein it exited from the competition in the round of 16, the Igor Stimac-coached side will have its task cut out against Malaysia in the tournament which is happening after a gap of almost a decade.
Malaysia has recorded six wins in nine matches with two draws and one defeat so far this year, signalling their impressive form.
India coach Stimac said his side is prepared for the challenge ahead of the knockout clash against Malaysia.
“We know about the good runs Malaysia have had in the past few months. They have a good coach and some wonderful homegrown players, who are very well supported by the naturalised players, so there is a lot of stability in the team at the moment,” Stimac was quoted as saying in an AIFF release.
The Indian coach conceded that Malaysia, who are expected to have a crowd support of as many as 90,000 fans in the Bukit Jalil Stadium here, have the advantage going into the contest but expressed that his side will be ready.
“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.
“They have a very stable, competitive side with a clear idea about what they need to do on the pitch. We are also in a similar situation, but with 90,000 supporters and with our record away from home, which has not been that great, it’s advantage Malaysia,” Stimac said.
India has taken part in the ‘Pestabola Merdeka’ 17 times in the past and is yet to win the trophy. However, for the Indians, the tournament might just be a preparatory leg for greater challenges lined up ahead.
India will face Kuwait and Qatar next month in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and Stimac conceded that their one eye will be on these games as well.
-PTI
Predicted 11s
India: Sandhu; Poojari, Jhingan, Ali, Mishra; Singh, Thapa, Chhangte, Samad, Kuruniyan; Chhetri
Malaysia: Hazmi; Davies, Tan, Cools, Corbin-Ong; Endrick, Gan, Halim, Josue, Rashid; Lok
The Bukit Jalil stadium is all set to welcome the Blue Tigers
Streaming/telecast information
The Merdeka Cup match between India and Malaysia will be telecast live on the Eurosport channel. The match will be live streamed on the Indian Football Team Facebook page in India
