India secured a commanding victory over the Maldives with a significant goal difference in their opening match of the SAFF Women’s Futsal Championship. The match, held at Nonthaburi Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, concluded with India defeating the Maldives 11-1. The Maldivian starting lineup featured goalkeeper Saiqa Hussain, Captain Fathimath Shaliya, Mariyam Rifa, Aminath Fazla, and Mariyam Noora.
India established a strong lead in the first half, scoring five goals. These goals were contributed by Mithila Ramani, Ritika Singh, Khushboo Saroj, and Sonali Mondal, with Ritika scoring twice during this period. Notably, India’s final three goals of the half were netted within approximately a single minute.
Entering the second half with a five-goal advantage, India maintained their momentum and scored shortly after the restart. The second-half goals were scored by Khushboo and Sonali Mondal, both of whom had scored in the first half, as well as Nishka Prakash. Khushboo, a key player who also represents India’s youth national team, finished the match with a total of four goals. The match also saw disciplinary action when the referee issued a red card to India’s Deeti Kanungo following a foul committed during a clear goal-scoring opportunity for the Maldives. The sole goal for the Maldivian side was scored by Mariyam Noora.
Despite the defeat, it is noteworthy that this match marked the international futsal debut for the Maldives national women’s team. In contrast, India is more experienced in the format, having participated in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers last year. Their current squad includes seven players from that qualifying campaign. Furthermore, India benefits from superior infrastructure and familiarity with indoor futsal pitches, whereas the Maldivian team had their first opportunity to train on an indoor surface only after arriving in Thailand for the tournament.
Following this opening match, the Maldives will face Nepal in their second fixture on the 15th of this month. Their subsequent matches are scheduled against Bhutan on the 21st, Sri Lanka on the 24th, and finally, Bangladesh on the 25th.
