Bengaluru, India: Indian Women's Football Team secures dominant win over Maldives by 11-1 in second FIFA International Friendly.
Maldives suffered a heavy 14-0 defeat to India in their first friendly two days ago, marking India’s sixth victory over Maldives in international football. The only exception came in 2016, during the South Asian Games in Guwahati, India, when Maldives managed a draw with India.
In a standout debut performance, Indian forward Lhingdeikim scored four goals, netting twice in each half (12th, 16th, 56th, and 59th).
Fellow debutant Nongmeikapam Sibani Devi also found the back of the net with a goal in added time of the first half (45+1). Other goal scorers included Kajol D'Souza (15th), Pooja (41st), Simran Gurung (62nd, 68th), and Khumukcham Bhumika Devi (71st).
Maldives’ sole goal came from Mariyam Rifa in the 27th minute, marking the first-ever goal scored by a Maldivian player against India in their eight meetings.
India's head coach Joakim Alexandersson made six changes to his starting lineup for this match, with the aim of testing different combinations and players.
Alexandersson is using these two friendlies as an opportunity to shape the future of the Indian Women’s Football Team by giving as many players as possible a chance to shine.
On the Maldivian side, it has been a decade since the country held an official 11-a-side tournament for women, creating significant challenges for the national team, which is coached by Mohamed Nizam (Nizambe).
Nizam had just 10 days to prepare the team for these two international fixtures.
Nizam highlighted the key issue: there are no official local competitions for Maldivian women’s football players, which severely hampers their development. He emphasized that the only opportunity for these players to train properly is during the National Team camps, but without regular competition, improvement remains a challenge. He hopes the situation will improve in the future, allowing the players to gain more game time and develop their skills.
