We could have scored another goal, says Farukh Choudhary after 1-1 draw against Vietnam

Indian footballer Farukh Choudhary feels they could have scored another goal after a 1-1 draw against Vietnam in Nam Dinh on Saturday. This was the first match for Manuel Marquez’s men while playing away from home.

Meanwhile, Marquez’s selection of Choudhary had raised many doubts but the midfielder was able to grab his opportunity with both hands. After Vi Hao Bui had given the hosts a 38th-minute lead, Farukh scored the equalizer for the Blue Tigers in the second half.

Choudhary was making a return to the national team after three years. The 27-year-old had suffered a knee injury, which had kept on the sidelines for a long time.

“Personally, I feel great. I’ve not been a part of the national team for a long time, but this is where I wanted to be. I worked hard at my clubs and I knew in my heart that I deserved to be here,” Farukh said as quoted by PTI.

“I’m glad that I could make a difference for the team, but I feel that we could have scored another,” he said.

“But everyone played well together as a team. Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu) and Anwar (Ali) also had exceptional games in defence, which is why we got this score.”

Meanwhile, India continues their search for the first win under Marquez. The Spaniard tactician is hopeful of better showing in the upcoming matches.

“In the first half, it was practically all Vietnam. Then we discussed at half-time how we have enough quality to play, and finally, we started executing our plans in the second,” said Márquez.

“Sure, Vietnam could have scored in the last minutes when we were tired, but we could have scored too with our last chance. But overall, I am satisfied with this. It was a friendly game, after all.”