Indian football team on Saturday were handed a 1-2 defeat by Maldives in the final of the SAFF Cup at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. India were searching for their record eighth SAFF title and were stopped by the lower-ranked side. While Maldives scored a goal in each half, the defending champions found the net only once that too towards the end in extra time. Ibrahim Mahudhee Hussain in the 19th minute opened the scoring for his side. SAFF Cup 2018 Final Result: India Suffer 1-2 Defeat Against Maldives

Despite India starting with the majority of the possession and domination, Maldives manages to sneak the opening goal and take the early lead. Ibrahim Mahudhee Hussain received the ball from Naiz Hussain during an attacking move as he slotted it into the net. The goal meant India were trailing for the first time in this year’s tournament.

The defending champions tried hard to net an equaliser, but found no success. During the second half, many opportunities came India’s way and it was Ali Fasir who helped Maldives’ double lead in the 66th minute. All thanks to Hamzath Mohamed’s assistance, who zipped past the Indian defence, Ali Fasir made it 2-0 in favour for his side.

Watch Video Highlights of Maldives vs India SAFF Cup 2018 Final:

The consolation goal for India came in the added time of second half through Sumeet Passi. The goal raised some of India’s hopes but was not enough to help his side bounce back. Summet received a cross from the right wing by Nikhil and netted it to open the scoring for his team. Though it came late as Maldives then denied India a chance to equalise.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 15, 2018 11:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).