KUALA LUMPUR: National caretaker coach Pau Marti Vicente is pleased with his team's progress following Monday's 1-1 away draw against India in a friendly.
Paulo Josue gave Harimau Malaya the lead in the 19th minute, but the Blue Tigers equalised in the 38th minute through Rahul Bheke at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad.
Vicente, who has now overseen three wins, one draw and one loss since taking charge of world No. 133 Malaysia, described the result against world No. 125 India as positive.
"I think the game was quite tight. In the first half, we struggled a bit to find our way of playing, and then in the second half, we maybe improved a bit," said Vicente in the post-match press conference.
"I think the result is quite fair. Maybe we missed a few chances at the end of the game, and we're disappointed about that, but we're happy with the performance.
"Away from home, this is a good result. Of course, we want more — we want to win every game — but overall, it's a positive outcome."
Harimau Malaya will now focus on the AFF Cup next month before tackling the Asian Cup qualifiers next year.
"When the qualifiers come, I think we need to be able to compete at this level. Maybe on another day, with a bit more luck and precision, I think we'll get the win," said Vicente.
"We have the AFF Cup, so we'll play another tournament in two weeks. I think this will also help us to be even more prepared for matches."
Malaysia missed out on an early 2027 Asian Cup berth after finishing third in Group D of the World Cup qualifiers.
The team must now finish as one of six group winners from 24 teams in the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers to earn a spot alongside the 18 teams already qualified.
The draw for the groupings will take place next month.
Meanwhile, Malaysia will kick off their AFF Cup campaign in Group A, alongside Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia and Timor Leste.
They open their campaign against Cambodia in Phnom Penh on Dec 20.