India beat Maldives 1-0 to reach SAFF Championship semi-finals

TL;DR in 30 sec

India beat Maldives 1-0 at the National Stadium in Dhaka on 11 November to reach the SAFF Championship 2026 semi-finals, Khel Now and the AFC reported.
Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the 38th minute, his third goal of the tournament, according to the AFC.
India topped Group B with six points, ahead of Pakistan on three, while Maldives went out without a point, Khel Now reported.
India, the defending champions, play Bhutan in the first semi-final on Saturday, the AFC and The Daily Star reported.

A white football rests in the bottom-left corner of a goal net on a green pitch, with the penalty spot in front and floodlights above the stands. — Illustration

What happened

India beat Maldives 1-0 in Dhaka on Wednesday, 11 November, in their last Group B match, Khel Now reported.

One goal settled it, in the 38th minute. Abdul Rabeeh won the ball from Hussain Sifaau Yoosuf and was brought down by the same defender inside the box, according to Khel Now and the AFC. Suhail Ahmad Bhat sent goalkeeper Hussain Shareef the wrong way and placed the penalty in the bottom-left corner, Khel Now reported.

Maldives pushed hard late on. Goalkeeper Priyansh Dubey saved Ali Hamdhaan’s free-kick in the 79th minute and a shot from Muzdhaan Hassan a few minutes later, according to Khel Now. In stoppage time, he rushed out and blocked a close-range attempt from Ethan Ibrahim Zaki with his face, Khel Now reported.

Head coach Naushad Moosa made seven changes from the side that beat Pakistan, Khel Now said. Chinglensana Singh Konsham captained the team, Sportslight Media reported.

Why it matters for India 🇮🇳

India are the defending champions and are chasing a 10th SAFF title, the AFC reported.

It is also a young side. Outlook India reported that India sent a second-string (backup), mostly under-23 squad to the tournament. Head coach Khalid Jamil is with the main squad, preparing for friendlies in New Zealand from 12 November.

Bhat has scored in both of India’s group matches: twice against Pakistan and once against Maldives, according to Khel Now.

Background

India opened the group with a 3-2 win over Pakistan, with goals from Bhat and Manglenthang Kipgen, Khel Now reported. India conceded twice in added time in that match, and Khel Now said Moosa then asked for better concentration and game management.

Before the match, FIFA ranked India 138th in the world and Maldives 173rd, according to Outlook India. India had also won four of their last five meetings with Maldives, Outlook India said.

In Group A, Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka 4-0 on the same day to top the group, according to the AFC and The Daily Star. Bhutan went through as runners-up on better goal difference, the AFC reported.

Different perspectives

The sources agree on the result, the scorer and how the penalty was won. They differ slightly on the timing of Dubey’s second save: Khel Now put it about five minutes after the 79th minute, while Outlook India’s live blog placed it around the 87th minute. No contrary view was found in the sources.

Open questions 🤔

Who will score India’s goals against Bhutan, after Suhail Ahmad Bhat’s three so far?
Will India reach the final and chase a 10th SAFF title?
How many of these mostly under-23 players will move up to the senior national squad?

What to watch next

India play Bhutan in the first semi-final on Saturday, 14 November, at 2:30 pm IST, Sportslight Media reported. Bangladesh play Pakistan in the second semi-final later that day, according to The Daily Star.