New Delhi: There was a mistake made by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu that is frequent in school football but illegal on the international stage. That one mistake put Malaysia ahead in the 19th minute of their friendly match against India in Hyderabad, Paulo Josue accepted the gift and put the ball past Sindhu. As the sweeper-keeper, Gurpreet believed he could handle a looping ball with ease.
But when the ball rebounded over his towering body, it looked hilarious for an international level football. After that, the Malaysian striker calmly finished by outrunning a helpless Gurpreet. Since 2011, Gurpreet, a Bengaluru FC player in the Indian Super League, has consistently been a part of the senior national men’s squad.
What a beautiful assist from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu!!! #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/hN8w8GK5UI
— Hari (@Harii33) November 18, 2024
India have not won since November 2023 going into the friendly with Malaysia. India’s most recent victory was a 1-0 victory against Kuwait in a Kuwait City AFC World Cup qualifying match. In that game, Gurpreet was the goalkeeper, but now there are questions being raised on who should succeed the veteran keeper for the long run.
Amrinder Singh
🚨 MILESTONE ALERT 🚨
Amrinder Singh and Princeton Rebello step on to the field for their 150th and 50th #ISL appearances respectively.#OdishaFC #AmaTeamAmaGame #KalingaWarriors #ISL10 #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/9yZL4rq6eu
— Odisha FC (@OdishaFC) December 29, 2023
The Odisha FC goalkeeper has already made a total of 61 appearances for his club and also has 11 appearances for the Indian tigers. The 31-year-old has been around for a while now and he has shown his ability in between the sticks in the past for both club and country. He has a save percentage of 62% this season for Odisha and he can prove to be a commanding presence for Sergio Lobera’s side.
However, it is not just his shot stopping ability, but his passing has been impressive too, with a 67% passing success rate, when it comes to long balls played from the back. Above all, Amrinder might just be the best option who could replace the veteran keeper as the new number one for Marquez’s side.
Vishal Kaith
Vishal Kaith for Mohan Bagan (VIA @Arijit289)
Another talented goalkeeper who plays for Mohan Bagan and is considered to be a major factor behind the club’s success. The 28-year-old has made a few appearances for the his national side, but is yet to get his international career’s ground running. However, Kaith is performing quite well for the Bengal side, as he already has kept three clean sheets so far. With a save percentage of 73% in Hero Indian Super League, he is proven shot stopper who can provide quite a lot to this Indian side.
If we talk about the longetivity, Kaith might just be the better option considering he is just 28, and still has a lot to offer to his national side. This season, he has been one of Mohun Bagan’s main men, and a leading figure whoch can be quite useful for the Indian side.
Albino Gomes
Albino Gomes yesterday against East Bengal FC ⏭️
1 Penalty Save
6 Shots Saved
He became the first indian goalkeeper to stop 5 penalties in isl carrier🔥#allindiafootball #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/gWxf0tZt6W
— All India Football (@AllIndiaFtbl) October 6, 2024
Yet to make even a single appearance for the Indian side, Albino Gomes may not be having the best season as a Jamshedpur FC, but he has certainly showed his class in between the sticks with a save percentage of 66.7%, which is the third best in the league. He can turn out to be a hige asset for this Indian side with his shot stopping ability and his tendency to make big saves when the team needs him the most.
Jamshedpur have the worst defence in the leagiue alongside Kerala Blasters, as both the sides have conceded 16 goals so far, but Gomes has been brilliant considering the number of saves that he makes per 90 minutes. He is more exposed while playing for his club but the way he has managed to keep Jamshedpur up at seventh place is truly remarkable, suggesting that he should be given the chance to become the first choice keeper for his country.
After last night’s goalkeeping blunder made by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has raised a few questions on who should be the next number one goalkeeper for India, succeeding the veteran Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
