"Content to have contributed to our win in the last match" - Indian midfielder Brandon Fernandes opens about his performance against Cambodia

Brandon Fernandes' career has been a fascinating one so far. Whenever he has looked to move to the next level, there have been regular injury interruptions that have held him back.

In India's opening game of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers against Cambodia on Wednesday, Brandon showed yet again why he is still the country's best creative midfielder.

FC Goa's leading man had two inch-perfect crosses in the game from wide areas. While the first was slashed over the bar by Sunil Chhetri, the Indian skipper didn't miss the second time. Brandon's whipped delivery from the left was calmly headed home by Chhetri.

The Margao-born midfielder continued to run between the channels in the opposition's final third. He was visibly the most potent attacking threat against the Cambodian defense.

Brandon suffered an injury in October last year while on national duty and was sidelined for over three months. However, he returned strong in the latter half of the Indian Super League season, making seven appearances.

How does this journey back into the national setup feel?

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Brandon Fernandes exclaimed:

"There have always been ups and downs but I'm privileged to be playing this beautiful game. It's always a proud moment playing for the country and I'm content to have contributed to our win in the last match."

The 27-year-old is one of the few natural Number 10s in the national camp. Head coach Igor Stimac deployed him in a free role against the Angkor Warriors and Brandon kept finding pockets of space in wide areas.

Cambodia were defending in a 5-3-2, which created room on the flanks. Fernandes also carried the ball into the opposition box down the middle often and tested the keeper with some stinging shots. Speaking further about his role, the midfielder said:

"The coach had a specific plan for us. There were a lot of spaces on the flanks so my role was to get in those spaces and provide forward passes."

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"It's always helpful to have a striker with like-mindedness" - Brandon Fernandes on his link-up play with Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri being at the end of both Brandon's crosses wasn't just a coincidence. The two furthest players combined on multiple occasions throughout the game and for good reason.

Brandon's ability to pick out players is second to none in the country while very few players in Asia have the experience and footballing brain that Sunil possesses.

Talking about his connection on the field with the skipper, Fernandes said:

"It's always helpful to have a striker with like-mindedness. He's [Sunil Chhetri] the most experienced player we have and he knows where the spaces are. It gets easier for me to deliver passes to him because he's always in the right spot to score."

The Cambodia match is now well behind Brandon and India. If they are to cement their qualification into the main stage of the tournament, a victory against Afghanistan will be crucial.

Echoing the thoughts of his head coach, Brandon also identified Afghanistan as their toughest challenge in Group D. Speaking about the team's next opponents, he said:

"For us, the most important thing was to win the first match and gain confidence. Next, we face Afghanistan, who I see as the toughest opponent in the group. We will have to be at our best to get a good result. Winning against them will put us in a very good position, getting us closer to our objective. We will prepare ourselves against Hong Kong then."

Brandon's creativity makes him pivotal for the Indian national team but it is his level-headedness that makes him invaluable. If the Goan can stay injury-free, Fernandes will continue to shine in national colours for years to come.