Chhetri scores on return to end India's 16-month winless streak

Goals from Bheke and Colaco help India beat Maldives 3-0 and give head coach Marquez his first win

- Dhiman Sarkar

KOLKATA: It took 485 days and 12 matches to break the winless run and on the night it did, Sunil Chhetri was among goals. The gloom of 2024 has been lifted and Manolo Marquez couldn't have asked for more ahead of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh one day shy of a week. From slick heeled passes to the clean sheet, few things go this right in football in India as the 3-0 win against Maldives in Shillong on Wednesday.

Vishal Kaith, Subhasish Bose and Liston Colaco worked out attacking combinations that should serve India well. The quality of deliveries needed to improve but Colaco and Noarem Mahesh Singh helped use the width of the park. The backline and defensive midfielders were not tested. "We could have moved the ball a little faster but I am generally satisfied with the performance of all the players," Marquez told the official broadcasters after his first win as India head coach.