India head coach Manolo Marquez said striker Farukh Choudhary produced exactly his usual in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Vietnam in a friendly on Saturday. Returning to the open group after three years, Farukh Choudhary scored the winning goal as 126th-ranked India held 116th-ranked Vietnam to a draw at home.
Manolo praised Farukh Choudhary’s effort and explained why he decided to substitute him in the 69th minute.
“I thought he (Farukh Choudhary) had a pretty good game. He did what we expected him to do. We didn’t want him to come off in the 70th minute, but his commitment was remarkable,” Manolo said.
Farukh Choudhary’s goal was only India’s third in 10 matches in 2024 and only their second from open play. The other players to score for India in 2024 were Sunil Chhetri, who has since resigned, and Lallianzuala Chhangte.
Farukh Choudhary, however, was not happy with his performance. The 27-year-old Chenaniyin FC player said India could have had the upper hand in the match.
“I am happy that I could have had a significant impact on the group, but I felt we could have scored another goal,” he said. “Everyone played well anyway. Gurpreet and Anwar also had great games in defence, which is why we got the points.”
Farukh last played for India against Nepal in October 2021. He picked up an assist in India’s 1-0 win in Male.
Looking at the result, Marquez said he was happy with the team’s presentation and added that the half-time discussion helped the Blue Tigers develop in the final third of the match.
“In the first half, it was basically all Vietnam. Then we talked about how we had enough quality to play in the first half, and then we started to make our arrangements in the second half,” Marquez said. “Of course, Vietnam could have scored a little bit recently when we were exhausted, but we could have scored in our last chance. In any case, overall, I am happy with it. It was a well-prepared game, all things considered.”