SAFF Women’s Championship: Hosts India booked their place in the final of the SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 with a 1-0 win against Bhutan in the semi-finals on Wednesday. India will face defending champions Bangladesh in the final on June 6. Head coach Crispin Chhetri made two changes to the team that had defeated Bangladesh 3-0 in the previous group stage. Karishma Shirwoikar and Priyanka Devi Noram got a place in the starting lineup in place of Pyari Jaxa and Sangeeta Basfour. Sanfida Nongrum scored the only goal in the 58th minute in the semi-final played at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
India struggled to find its rhythm in the initial moments. Meanwhile, Bhutan adopted a defensive approach, played far back in their half and gave India a chance to put pressure. The first chance of a goal came in the third minute itself, when the ball coming from behind created chaos in Bhutan’s defence. Goalkeeper Sangeeta Mongar could not catch the ball properly. Karishma moved quickly to take advantage of the opportunity. However, there was a little pace on his first touch, which gave Namgyal Dema the opportunity to avoid danger. India maintained their dominance on the ball, but their accuracy was lacking at the last end. In the 11th minute, Karishma found a lot of space on the left side from where she passed the ball to Soumya Guguloth.
However, the forward’s first-time effort was weak and was easily caught by Sangeeta. Four minutes later, Bhutan showed a glimpse of their attacking prowess. Jamyang’s throw-in could not be fully cleared, and the ball eventually fell to captain Pema Tsering in the middle of the box. His effort was easily thwarted by Indian captain and goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu Elangbam. As the half progressed, India settled into their rhythm and started controlling the game through the midfield. They finished the first half with 71 percent ball possession, but winger Soumya Guguloth and midfielder Sanfida Nongrum were unable to take advantage of the good situations. Chhetri made three attacking changes after the break. Manisha Kalyan made her debut in the tournament in place of Priyanka Devi Naorem, Malvika replaced Soumya Guguloth and Sangeeta Basfore came on the field in place of Karishma.
These changes immediately brought more pace and coordination to India’s attacking play. Just six minutes after the restart, Manisha showed her prowess with a brilliant cross which found its way to Aveka Singh without any hindrance, but the midfielder was unable to get hold of the ball. Finally, in the 58th minute, India’s relentless efforts bore fruit. After a clash on the edge of the penalty area, Bhutan goalkeeper Sangeeta was overstepped by her goal-line. Initially it looked like Aveka would score, but the ball bounced to Sangeeta Basfore, who bravely headed the ball forward to Sanfida Nongrum.
The midfielder showed tremendous composure, took one touch and then beat the goalkeeper to score. The deadlock in the match was broken with this goal. This was his second international goal for India. Bhutan maintained discipline and were difficult to break down, while their goalkeeper made several crucial saves to keep his team in the match. Ultimately, Sanfida’s goal proved to be enough for India to win in a tough match and reach the final.
