India vs Maldives Player Ratings: Suhail Bhat and Md Uvais shine in SAFF Championship 2026 clash
Blue Tigers finish atop Group B with two consecutive wins over Pakistan and Maldives
The Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, hosted the 2026 SAFF Championship fixture between India and Maldives in the final group stage clash of Group B.
It was India up against Maldives tonight, and a place in the semi-finals was at stake. Pakistan had already secured a semi-final berth after getting the better of Maldives. For India, the equations were quite simple. A draw was enough for the Blue Tigers to qualify as the table toppers.
Maldives needed more than just a win and too many permutations to go in their favour. The match was a closely contested fixture, as India took eight shots, whereas Maldives took seven.
There were too many what-if and what-if-not moments in the game as both teams came agonisingly close to scoring. However, there were no goals from open play. Abdul Rabeeh won a penalty for India, and Suhail Bhat converted from the spot to make it 1-0 as India won the final game to finish as the table toppers of Group B.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the player ratings from the SAFF Championship clash between India and Maldives.
India Player Ratings (By Saikat Sengupta)
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Priyansh Dubey – 7.5/10
The Indian custodian made one save tonight against Maldives, who had four shots, of which one was on target.
Khaiminthang Lhungdim – 8/10
A stellar performance from the Punjab FC fullback, who made those overlapping and accelerated runs from the flanks and kept Ahmed Aiham quiet by neutralising all his runs from the flanks.
Chinglensana Singh – 8/10
The captain of the Indian side tonight, the Bengaluru FC defender, had the most touches tonight and was a reliable presence in the backline. He made three clearances and won an aerial duel tonight.
Sandip Mandi – 7.5/10
Mandi made four defensive contributions tonight. He got dispossessed a few times, but overall he played well to secure a clean sheet against Maldives and got the better of Hassan Naiz.
Muhammed Uvais – 8.5/10
Uvais was a beast on the flanks. Not only did he neutralise Ibrahim Mahudhee from the flanks, but he also helped the team offensively by setting up Brison Fernandes. Uvais had over eight passes into the final third.
Abhishek Suryavanshi – 8/10
A brilliant performance in the midfield for Suryavanshi, who was a stalwart in the centre of the park. From anchoring the defence effectively to creating chances upfront, the Mohun Bagan midfielder was one of the best players for India tonight.
Ricky John Shabong – 7.5/10
Ricky’s partnership with Abhishek in the midfield was excellent tonight. They completely dominated the midfield. It was never easy to close down a narrow lead against an agile Maldivian side, but Shabong held his ground as India won the game.
Abdul Rabeeh – 7/10
It was Rabeeh who won a penalty for India in the late minutes of the first half. Overall, he had a decent game. Though he could have done better to intercept those Maldivian attacks from the flanks, Rabeeh was impressive.
Macarton Louis Nickson – 6.5/10
Playing as a number 10 tonight, Macarton made those pinpoint crosses and made a few passes into the final third. He didn’t look very sharp tonight offensively.
Brison Fernandes – 7.5/10
Brison was an electrifying presence in the wings for India tonight. His link-up play with Uvais was a delight to watch as India created a flurry of chances from the left wing.
Suhail Ahmad Bhat – 8.5/10
The Mohun Bagan striker is one of the top contenders to win the Golden Boot, as India won the game 1-0, and he found his name in the scoresheet tonight. After scoring a brace against Pakistan, he scored a penalty. He also had the joint most shots and touches in the opposition boxes.
Substitutions:
Manglenthang Kipgen – 7/10
He was subbed on early in the second half as the Punjab FC winger replaced Abdul Rabeeh.
PV Vishnu – 6/10
The East Bengal winger had over 20 minutes to make an impact, but he couldn’t make the most of his presence tonight.
Irfan Yadvad – 7/10
Yadvad came in and had an immediate impact, taking three shots, the most by any player jointly in this game. His shot accuracy was, however, poor, as only one of them was on target.
Ebindas Y – 6.5/10
He came on too late to make an impact in the last ten minutes, but he took one shot that went off target.
What was the score line of the SAFF Championship 2026 game, India vs Maldives?
India won the game 1-0 against Maldives to move atop the points table.
Who were the goal scorers in the SAFF Championship 2026 game, India vs Maldives?
Suhail Ahmed Bhat scored the only goal in the match against Maldives.
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