India endured a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Vietnam in their Group C opener at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, held at the Perth Rectangular Stadium, Australia. This marked India’s first main-draw appearance in the continental tournament since 2003.
India started brightly, with Sangita Basfore testing Vietnam’s goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh early on. Vietnam gradually took control of midfield, hitting the crossbar through Nguyen Thi Bích Thùy before Ngân Thi Van Su opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a superb strike.
India nearly equalized before halftime through Manisha Kalyan’s creative play, but Soumya Guguloth and Pyari Xaxa couldn’t convert.
Vietnam thought they had doubled their lead, but VAR overturned Thái Thi Thao’s goal due to a handball. India capitalized on the reprieve, with substitute Sanfida Nongrum scoring in the 52nd minute to level the match. The Blue Tigresses looked threatening, with Nongrum and Xaxa testing the Vietnamese defense.
Despite India’s resilience, Vietnam regained momentum in the closing stages. Deep into stoppage time (90+4’), Ngân Thi Van Su struck again, sealing the win and breaking Indian hearts.
Ranked 67th in the world, India showed promise against 36th-ranked Vietnam but fell short in the final moments. Their next challenge is against continental heavyweights Japan (world No. 8), making Saturday’s clash a daunting test.
AFC Women’s Asian Cup: Vietnam strike late to down India in opener
PERTH, MAR 4 (AGENCIES)