India booked their place in the SAFF Championship semifinals with a 1-0 win over Maldives. Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored the winner from the penalty spot, while goalkeeper Priyansh Dubey produced crucial late saves to preserve the defending champions' lead.India beat Maldives 1-0 to book their spot in the SAFF Championships semifinal.
Dhaka,Nov 11, 2026 19:20 ISTIndia booked their place in the SAFF Championship semifinals after edging past Maldives 1-0 in their final Group B fixture at the National Stadium on Wednesday. Suhail Ahmad Bhat's first-half penalty proved decisive, while goalkeeper Priyansh Dubey produced a series of important saves to preserve the defending champions' lead.India finished the group stage with six points, ahead of Pakistan on three, while Maldives bowed out without a point.
The defending champions will face Bangladesh, Bhutan or Sri Lanka in the semifinals on November 14. Their opponents will be confirmed after the final Group A fixture between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.Head coach Naushad Moosa made seven changes to the side that defeated Pakistan 3-2 in their previous outing.
Abhishek Suryavanshi, Muhammed Uvais, Bhat and Ricky Shabong retained their places, while Dubey replaced Arsh Anwer Shaikh in goal. Chinglensana Singh Konsham also took over the captaincy following Bijoy Varghese's departure for New Zealand.Bhat tested Maldives goalkeeper Hussain Shareef with an early effort towards the near post, but India needed a penalty to break the deadlock in the 38th minute.
The opportunity came after Abdul Rabeeh dispossessed Hussain Sifaau Yoosuf, only for the defender to bring him down inside the penalty area. Bhat stepped up and sent Shareef the wrong way, calmly placing his effort into the bottom-left corner.The goal took Bhat's tally to three in the tournament.
He had scored twice in India's victory over Pakistan, while Manglenthang Kipgen had netted the other goal in that encounter. Moosa made further changes after the break, introducing Irfan Yadwad and Kipgen for Rabeeh and Nickson.
Vishnu PV later replaced Bhat in the 65th minute as India looked to manage their advantage.However, Maldives threatened to spoil the occasion. Dubey denied Ali Hamdhaan's free-kick in the 79th minute before keeping out Muzdhaan Hassan's effort five minutes later.His biggest contribution came deep into stoppage time.
With Ethan Ibrahim Zaki attempting to convert from close range, Dubey rushed off his line and blocked the effort with his face to preserve India's clean sheet.The goalkeeper's interventions were particularly important after India's nervy finish against Pakistan, when they conceded twice in added time despite taking a three-goal lead before half-time.Moosa had called for better concentration and game management following that match. Against Maldives, India managed to hold on, with Bhat's penalty and Dubey's late heroics ensuring their progress into the last four.- Ends