Merdeka Cup: India to face Malaysia in a knock-out clash
The Indian football team will be in action at the 2023 Merdeka Cup as they will play against hosts, Malaysia on October 13 at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. India have appeared in 17 editions of the tournament since its inception in 1957. They will look to live up to the rich history they have in this competition. Here's more.
India are two-time Merdeka Cup runners-up
India finished with the runners-up medal at the Merdeka Cup in the 1959 and 1964 editions. They suffered a 1-0 defeat against hosts, Malaysia in 1959 despite coming agonizingly close to winning the trophy. India were beaten 1-0 in the final again this time by Burma (Myanmar) in 1964. They finished third in the 1965 and 1966 editions of the tournament.
A look at this edition's format
Earlier, it was a 10-team tournament with the competition running for 20 days but this year four teams were invited including hosts, Malaysia, India, Palestine and Tajikistan. However, Palestine withdrew courtesy of war tensions and traveling issues. Therefore, Tajikistan have progressed to the final and they will face the winner of Malaysia and India. It is a single knock-out format.
A watershed moment in Indian football
India suffered a horrible 9-1 defeat against Burma in the 1971 Merdeka Cup. The repercussions of that result saw the Union Ministry of Education send a not-so-kind letter to the AIFF. AIFF was angered by the letter and they sent a cable and asked the Indian team to return home without playing the Sukan Cup. Ultimately, India returned as joint-winners of the Sukan Cup.
India's famous win against South Korea in 1986
India shocked South Korea with a 4-3 win in the 1986 Merdeka Cup. It remains one of their biggest wins in international football. Krishanu Dey scored a brace while Mauricio Afonso and VP Sathyan scored one each. Korea qualified for the 1986 World Cup.
A look at India's 23-member squad for the Merdeka Cup
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith. Defenders: Nikhil Poojary, Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra, Subhasish Bose. Midfielders: Suresh Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Udanta Singh, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Liston Colaco, Nandhakumar Sekar. Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh.
Here's the schedule
Igor Stimac's men will play against hosts, Malaysia on October 13 from 6:30pm IST in the opening fixture. The winner of the match will face Tajikistan on October 17th in the final. Both matches will be played at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. Eurosport will telecast the match while fans can live stream on AIFF's official YouTube channel.
