Historic Win for Indian Women's Futsal Team in SAFF Championship
India's Futsal Team Shines in First International Match
The Indian women's futsal team celebrated a remarkable milestone by securing their inaugural international victory, triumphing over the Maldives with an impressive score of 11-1 during their opening match at the SAFF Women's Futsal Championship held at Nonthaburi Stadium in Thailand.
Khushbu Saroj was the standout player, netting four goals (17', 22', 24', 26'), while Ritika Singh (6', 17'), Sonali Mondal (17', 37'), and Nishka Parkash (33', 34') each contributed two goals. Mithila Ramani initiated the scoring with the tournament's first goal at the 4-minute mark, and an own goal by Achom Degio (39') allowed the Maldives to get on the scoreboard.
From the outset, the Futsal Tigresses dominated the match, pushing forward aggressively. India broke the deadlock in the fourth minute when Arya More's cross found Mithila, who finished at the far post. Ritika quickly followed up, doubling the lead just two minutes later with a shot from Diti Kanungo.
As the match progressed, the Maldives began to explore offensive opportunities, but India maintained pressure, leading to two quick goals from Sonali Mondal, who assisted Khushbu and then set up Ritika for another goal.
Sonali herself scored just before halftime, bringing the score to 5-0 as the teams headed into the break.
In the second half, Khushbu continued her scoring spree, netting three goals shortly after the restart. Her first was a powerful shot from outside the circle, followed by a calm finish after being set up by Ritika. The fourth goal came from a well-executed set-piece involving Sonali.
India faced a brief challenge when Diti received a red card, leaving the team with only four players on the court. However, once the penalty period ended, scoring resumed with Nishka adding two more goals, including one after a clever one-two with Ritika.
Sonali capped off the scoring for India with her second goal, stealing the ball from Fathimath Saliya and finishing past the Maldives keeper. The Maldives managed to score a consolation goal from a corner kick, but it was too late to change the outcome as India celebrated their historic victory in women's futsal.
India's squad included: Tanvi Mavani (Goal Keeper), Aiswarya Arumugam (Goal Keeper), Achom Degio, Radhika Patel, Mithila Ramani, Nishka Parkash, Arya More, Jigmet Chunzen (Captain), Khushbu Saroj, Sonali Mondal, Ritika Singh, Diti Kanungo, Pooja Gupta, and Aarushi Santhosh.