Soumo Ghosh
AIFF Media Team

HYDERABAD: It was a difficult start to the Manolo Márquez era in the Indian men's national team. A 0-3 defeat to Syria on Monday after a goalless draw versus Mauritius last week meant that the Blue Tigers ended the Intercontinental Cup 2024 in third place.

After what was a drab affair against Mauritius, which left Márquez unimpressed, India put on a better offensive showing against 93-ranked Syria, but only in the second half. The Spaniard was rather displeased by his men's panicky display in the opening minutes, which ultimately cost India as they were made to chase the game from start to finish after conceding as early as the seventh minute. Although India came out rejuvenated after the break, they couldn't breach the Syrian fortress and their debutant goalkeeper Elias Hadaya. But Márquez was at least pleased with the fact that his side created more in attack in those 45 minutes than they did in the previous three halves of football combined.

"It was a difficult tournament in all aspects. The team is not ready physically. All our players are in pre-season. Physically and technically, Syria were better. Against Mauritius, the game was very equal. At least today, it's true that the second half was okay. We deserved to score a goal. Three-nil isn't a fair reflection at all," said Márquez after the defeat to Syria.

"The second half was the only positive. Against Mauritius, we didn't play a good game, and in the first half of this game, the team was very scared, especially in the first few minutes."

Requiring only a draw to win the tournament, Syria were happy to preserve their one-goal advantage and play on the counter. India put all their eggs in one basket and went all out to get the elusive goal. Twice the crossbar came to Syria's rescue, while some brave defending from Syria and Hadaya's strong goalkeeping display prevented the first India goal of the Márquez era. As such, a clinical and quick Syria punished the hosts with two more goals late on, with a combination of Mahmoud Al-Mawas and Pablo Sabbag's fresh legs nailing the third and final goal.

"We knew that Syria's strong point was the counter-attack. We were losing 0-1 at half-time, and we knew that we needed to take the risk. We also knew that they could kill the game like they did in the last 15 minutes. But I think that from half-time till the 30th minute of the second half, the performance was okay. We had some clear chances to equalise in the game," said Márquez.

"Syria were better than us. Most of their players have already started the season with their clubs. They are in their fourth or fifth game in the championship that they are playing. And we are still in pre-season and we need to keep going because this is the only way that I know," he added.

Next on the agenda for Márquez and the Blue Tigers is the tri-nation friendly tournament in Vietnam in October. India will face the hosts on October 9 and Lebanon on October 12, both higher-ranked sides, at the Thiên Trường Stadium in the city of Nam Định. The new Indian Super League season is only three days away, beginning on September 13. The league will take a break for the next FIFA International Match Window from October 6. Márquez expects the physical condition of his men to be better for the next trip as it will be in the middle of the domestic season.

"Obviously, I think every coach wants to train more. It's difficult when you don't have too many training sessions. I said earlier that we need to find the correct group of players to adapt to our idea. This is the target because the ISL will start now and we will see how the players are. We need to keep going after a defeat. I know it's difficult, but the only solution is to keep working," he said.