Nonthaburi, Thailand: Maldives Women’s Futsal Team suffered a 4–2 defeat to Bhutan but continued to show visible progress in the inaugural SAFF Women’s Futsal Championship, currently being held in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Although Maldives have lost all four of their matches so far in the tournament, each performance has shown steady improvement. They began their campaign with a heavy 11–1 loss to India, followed by defeats to Nepal (5–0) and Pakistan (3–1). The match against Bhutan marked a significant milestone, as Maldives scored two goals in a single match for the first time in the competition.
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka 6–3, while Nepal secured a 5–1 victory over Pakistan.
Following these results, Bangladesh sit at the top of the standings with 10 points from four matches, followed by India in second place with nine points from four games. Bhutan are third with eight points from four matches.
Nepal and Pakistan occupy fourth and fifth positions respectively, both on seven points from five games. Sri Lanka are sixth with one point from four matches, while Maldives remain at the bottom of the table with no points from four games.
At the Nonthaburi Province Stadium Indoor Hall, Maldives started strongly against Bhutan but conceded the opening goal when Pema Kuenzang capitalized on a rebound just outside the penalty area.
Maldives responded through Raaniya Ibrahim, who produced a stunning strike from the edge of the area to level the score. However, Bhutan regained the lead after Yeshey Bidha found the top corner with a well-taken effort from distance.
Maldives came close to equalizing before halftime, with Fathimat Shaliya (Shaa) and Mariyam Noora both missing promising chances.
Bhutan extended their advantage early in the second half, with Namgyel Dema scoring in the seventh minute, followed by a fourth goal from Tshering Lhaden.
Maldives continued to push forward in search of goals, and their persistence paid off in the closing stages when Shaa found the net to score Maldives’ second goal of the match.
Maldives will conclude their campaign with two remaining fixtures, facing Sri Lanka on 23rd January and Bangladesh on 25th January.
