India beat Maldives 1-0 to reach SAFF Championship 2026 semifinal
Suhail Bhat's penalty secured India's place in the last four at Dhaka.
India defeated Maldives 1-0 at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday to book a SAFF Championship 2026 semifinal spot. Suhail Bhat scored the only goal from the penalty spot.
Key takeaways
- India beat Maldives 1-0 at the National Stadium in Dhaka.
- Suhail Bhat scored a first-half penalty for his third goal of the campaign.
- India finished Group B with six points, ahead of Pakistan on three.
- Maldives left the tournament without a point.
- India will face the Group A runner-up in the semifinal.
India beat Maldives 1-0 at the National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Wednesday to book a place in the SAFF Championship 2026 semifinal. Suhail Bhat scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the first half.
India finished the group stage with six points, ahead of Pakistan on three, while Maldives bowed out without a point.
India needed only a draw to advance but took all three points after NorthEast United forward Abdul Rabeeh was brought down by Hussain Sifaau Yoosuf inside the box in the 38th minute.
Bhat stepped up and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner, marking his third goal of the campaign.
India had tested the opposition goalkeeper Hussain Shareef in the third minute from a tight angle and dominated possession throughout the first half. V. as fresh legs, but India failed to score again and tapered off, just as it had in the last game against Pakistan.
Maldives looked to capitalise and could have equalised at the death if not for brave goalkeeping from Priyansh Dubey, who denied substitute Muzdhaan Hassan in the 84th minute before coming off his line and using his face to stop Ethan Ibrahim Zaki’s effort from close range in the first minute of added time.
India will take on whichever nation finishes second in Group A, with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka facing off later in the day, while Bhutan is also in contention to finish in the top two.
The SAFF Championship is the primary football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the South Asian Football Federation, determining the sub-continental champion of South Asia.
The 2026 edition is the 15th edition of the biennial international men’s football championship of South Asia organized by the South Asian Football Federation.
Group B standings after India's win over Maldives
Team | Points |
|---|---|
India | 6 |
Pakistan | 3 |
Maldives | 0 |
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