SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: The Indian women’s football team suffered a humiliating 1-3 loss to Chinese Taipei in their final Group C encounter of the ongoing AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 at the Western Sydney Stadium in the city on Tuesday, March 10. With this result, India lost all the matches they played in this tournament and saw their dreams of qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 fade.
Yu-Hsuan Su gave Chinese Taipei the lead in the 12th minute of the match. However, India struck back thanks to an extraordinary direct free kick scored by attacker Manisha Kalyan in the 40th minute, and levelled the game. Soon afterwards, however, an own goal by India’s goalkeeper Elangbam Panthoi Chanu doubled Chinese Taipei’s lead in the first half.
India lost all three matches they played under head coach Amelia Valverde
Both teams battled for supremacy in the second half, and India came close on many occasions to make a mark, but failed to convert their chances. The game was then put to bed in the 77th minute when winger Yu-Chin Chen struck for Chinese Taipei, giving them a two-goal cushion. The Indians, managed by Amelia Valverde, did not have much inspiration left and succumbed to a painful loss.
Shreya Hooda, Juli Kishan and Kaviya Pakkirisamy were brought on towards the dying minutes of the game, with captain and top defender Sweety Devi Ngangbam taken off due to an injury scare, but to no avail. India had earlier lost 1-2 to Vietnam and 0-11 to Japan in this tournament, and with this defeat, bowed out of the tournament. Despite having made it to the Asian Cup on merit, Valverde’s girls will return home with nothing to show for it.
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