Kolkata, May 25: Indian women kicked off their SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 campaign with full dominance. On a heated summer day, the Blue Tigresses flooded Margao, Goa with goals. With an 11–0 win, India beat Maldives on Monday evening at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. After 27 years, the SAFF Championship returned to Goa and started with a warm welcome of its own.
From the start of the match, India played attacking football and ended with the same scenario. Everyone was busy on the field except Shreya Hooda, as she did not face a single dangerous attack. Aveka Singh scored four goals, while Priyangka Devi and Karishma Shirvoikar scored braces. Five goals came in the first half, and the remaining six goals came in the second half.
In the 10th minute of the match, Priyangka gave the lead to the Blue Tigresses. In the 17th minute, with a through pass from Aveka Singh, Priyangka doubled the lead with a long shot. In the span of 10 minutes, Pyari Xaxa scored the third goal in the 28th minute. Amid the gathering outside the box, Priyangka set the ball for her, and Pyari sent the ball into the net.
At the 34th-minute mark, Fazla’s challenge gave India a free kick on the left flank. Aveka Singh stepped up and sent the chance into the net with a curling shot. Within six minutes, from a corner kick on the left side, Jasoda Munda sent a scooped ball to the second post, where Dangmei Grace headed it into the net, and her efforts paid off this time after attempting several chances.
With a five-nil dominating lead, India went into the break, but nothing changed on the field. The second half resumed with more attacking intensity, and early in the 53rd minute, India got their sixth goal. From the right flank, Sarita Yumnam sent a cross into the box, which Karishma Shirvoikar sent into the net. Within seven minutes, Sangita Basfore arrived with a long on-target shot, which gave India a 7–0 lead.
In the 63rd minute, Aveka almost got her brace when Malavika P, with a swift run, entered the box from the right and set up a back pass, which Aveka attempted, but this time the Maldives keeper was alert enough to make a save. However, within three minutes, Aveka scored her brace. Meeting Sarita Yumnam’s cross with a header, she changed the score to 8–0.
In the 68th minute, with another swift attack, India arrived with their ninth goal. Malavika P again, with a run, entered the box from the right and sent a grounded cross, which Karishma Shirvoikar sent into the net with one touch.
And within two minutes, Aveka Singh completed her hat-trick with Karishma Shirvoikar’s back pass. The final goal came in the 86th minute, when Aveka scored with a flying header to seal an 11–0 victory for India.
As the match went towards the end, the Maldives players became tired and seemed injured as they actively played and tried to protect their net, but India’s dominance was clear. Six different scorers came out, while the player of the match Aveka Singh scored four goals, with Priyangka and Karishma Shirvoikar scoring braces. Sarita Yumnam, Malavika P, and Grace’s efforts were also clearly impactful, contributing to the goals. Crispin Chhetri’s girls displayed a balanced performance on the field tonight to continue their dominant run against Maldives.
Indian women started their SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 campaign with dominance, while their next fixture is against defending champions Bangladesh on the 31st.
SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 – India vs Maldives highlights
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