India beat Maldives 1-0 in their final Group B match of the SAFF Championship at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, to reach the semi-finals as group winners. Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot in the first half.

The defending champions finished the group stage with six points from two matches, ahead of Pakistan on three points. Maldives were eliminated without a point after losing both of their group matches. India will play their semi-final on Saturday, 14 November.

Bhat penalty settles a tight match

The decisive moment came in the first half when Abdul Rabeeh was fouled inside the penalty area. Bhat stepped up and sent Maldives goalkeeper Hussain Shareef the wrong way, placing his kick into the bottom-left corner.

The goal took Bhat's tally for the tournament to three. He had scored twice in the first half of India's 3-2 win over Pakistan in the opening group match, with Manglenthang Kipgen scoring India's other goal in that game.

India head coach Naushad Moosa made seven changes to the side that beat Pakistan. Abhishek Suryavanshi, Muhammed Uvais, Bhat and Ricky Shabong kept their places, while Priyansh Dubey replaced Arsh Anwer Shaikh in goal and Chinglensana Singh Konsham took over the captaincy.

Dubey keeps the clean sheet

Maldives pushed for an equaliser in the second half, but goalkeeper Priyansh Dubey made a series of important saves to protect India's lead. He saved a free-kick from Ali Hamdhaan in the 79th minute and a shot from Muzdhaan Hassan five minutes later.

Dubey's most important intervention came in stoppage time, when he rushed out and blocked a close-range attempt from Ethan Ibrahim Zaki. The save preserved the clean sheet and ensured India finished top of the group.

Semi-final opponent still to be decided

India's semi-final opponents will be confirmed after the final Group A match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka later on Wednesday. Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka were all in contention for a place in the last four.

Moosa had called for better concentration and game management after India conceded twice in added time against Pakistan, despite holding a three-goal lead before the interval. Against Maldives, the late saves from Dubey meant there was no repeat of that nervous finish.