SAFF Championship: India women score one shy of a dozen

Margao : India, as expected, cruised to a 11-0 win against Maldives in their SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 opener but there’s a reason why coach Crispin Chettri wasn’t entirely happy at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Monday.“I think we are very good on the scoreboard, not on the field,” the India coach told reporters after the game. “We have to improve from what we did in the second half. We have to start executing what we have been preparing. We can't waste chances. I know scoring goal is one of the most difficult job, but creating chances is much more important. Scoring goals will come later but we didn’t do that, so a little bit upset.”Among the newer faces in the India team, Aveka stood out, her experience of playing for Danish second-division club Næstved HG since August last year making a difference. She was strong, sharp inside the box, and finished most chances that fell at her feet.Priyangka Devi Naorem marked her return to competitive football after recovering from ACL injury with two goals and an assist inside the first half an hour. Local girl Karishma Shirvoikar scored two in 15 minutes as a second-half substitute, while Pyari Xaxa, Grace Dangmei and Sangita Basfore were also among the goals.The goals came from everywhere: There were two tap-ins, acouple of well-worked moves, Pyari lobbed one from distance over the out of position goalkeeper, Aveka’s freekick bounced in front of the keeper and bamboozled her. There was a goal from a cornerkick too as Grance darted in from nowhere to complete the move. Sangita’s super strike from top of the box came out of nowhere, while there were three headers, including a brilliant low diving one from Aveka.India led 5-0 at the break. Maldives knew what to expect from India. Coach Sabah Mohamed Ibrahim had made it clear during the pre-match media interaction that the aim was to reduce the margin of defeats and catch the home team on the counter. The visitors didn’t have even a single touch inside the box, and their best attempt was an ambitious long ranger from Mariyam Noora.It didn’t help Maldives that half the team missed their connecting flight and were stuck in Mumbai for 12 hours on Sunday. Arriving at the team hotel a little after midnight, the players didn’t have enough rest before their opener.