Suhail Ahmad Bhat’s 38th-minute penalty and a string of late saves from goalkeeper Priyansh Dubey carried defending champions India into the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship with a 1-0 win over Maldives at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday, 11 November.
The only goal of the game came after Abdul Rabeeh was brought down inside the area by Hussain Sifaau Yoosuf. Bhat stepped up and slotted the spot-kick into the bottom left corner for his third goal of the campaign, and India held on through a nervous finish.
Maldives needed a win to keep their tournament alive, and they pushed hard in the closing stages. Dubey denied them three times late on, preserving the clean sheet and making sure India finished the group stage unbeaten at the top of the table.
India finished Group B with six points from two matches, ahead of Pakistan on three, while Maldives bowed out without a point. Pakistan also progressed to the last four as the group’s runners-up.
Head coach Naushad Moosa made seven changes to the side that had beaten Pakistan 3-2 in the opener, with Abhishek Suryavanshi, Muhammed Uvais, Bhat and Ricky Shabong the only players to keep their places. The reshuffled side took time to settle, but the penalty gave them the control they needed.
India will now face Bhutan in the first semi-final on Saturday, 14 November, kicking off at 2:30 p.m. Indian time. Bhutan booked their place after hosts Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka 4-0 in the final Group A match, leaving Bhutan through on a superior goal difference.
The second semi-final will be played between Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the final scheduled for 17 November. India are seeking a tenth SAFF Championship title, and they remain the team to beat in the tournament.
The win also continued Bhat’s fine tournament. His brace had helped India edge Pakistan in the opener, and his penalty against Maldives underlined his importance to a young squad that has been asked to defend the title.
For Maldives, the defeat ends a disappointing campaign in which they failed to take a point from their two group games. They had needed to beat India to stand any chance of going through, but Dubey’s goalkeeping and India’s organisation kept them out.
India will go into the semi-final as favourites, but Bhutan have already shown they can frustrate stronger sides, and Moosa’s team will know that one careless evening in Dhaka could end their title defence before the final.
