Konsham chinglensana singh

Konsham Chinglensana Singh: Manolo Marquez's life as head coach of the football team had a forgettable start as India drew against Mauritius, ranked 179th by FIFA with a goalless draw in the side’s first match of the Intercontinental Cup. The clean sheet was the highlight of the stalemate against Mauritius. The head coach, however, was mindful that improvement does not come from a flick of a button. Rather, it is a long and winding road.

“My feeling is that our first game was rather boring, but I cannot criticise the attitude of the players, who gave 100 percent,” said the Spanish coach. We could only get two training sessions, though that is not an excuse. The best thing is that I saw the players put in all the effort and that we did not concede. We had a few good performances, and there are a few other things that we need to correct, but it’s a good point to grow from,” Manolo Marquez told AIFF's media team.

India will now play Syria on September 9 in their next match of the Intercontinental Cup, a match that could decide the fate of the three-team competition.