India’s campaign at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 began in heartbreaking fashion as the Blue Tigresses suffered a 2–1 injury-time defeat to Vietnam in their opening Group C fixture at Perth Rectangular Stadium on Wednesday.
Vietnam forward Nguyen Thi Van Su struck in both halves, including a dramatic stoppage-time winner, to seal the victory for the Southeast Asian side. India had fought back earlier through debutant Sanfida Nongrum, whose equaliser briefly restored hope for the Blue Tigresses.
Vietnam Dominate Early Exchanges
The match began with Vietnam asserting control of possession as India adopted a cautious approach, sitting deeper and looking to exploit opportunities on the counterattack. India’s defence and goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu were immediately tested by Vietnam’s attacking movement. Panthoi was called into action early, producing a sharp save to deny Van Su and keep the scores level.
India responded in the eighth minute with their first real opportunity. Grace Dangmei controlled a high ball and brought it down into the path of Sangita Basfore, who struck a half-volley from outside the box. However, the effort went straight into the hands of Vietnamese goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh.
Vietnam continued to press and nearly broke the deadlock in the 14th minute when Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy capitalised on a misplaced pass from Basfore. Her powerful shot from the edge of the area struck the crossbar, narrowly sparing India. Panthoi once again came to India’s rescue midway through the half, producing a crucial save at the near post to deny Bich Thuy during a spell of sustained Vietnamese pressure.
Watch Indian Live Scores and Play Quiz – Download IndiaSportsHub App
Vietnam’s persistence finally paid off in the 30th minute. Thai Thi Thao threaded a precise pass through the Indian defence, releasing Nguyen Thi Van Su into space. The forward calmly curled her shot from just inside the penalty area past Panthoi, giving Vietnam a deserved lead.
Trailing by a goal, India attempted to stretch the play by switching to longer balls into the Vietnamese half. Manisha Kalyan produced a clever trivela pass to find Dangmei on the wing, but goalkeeper Kim Thanh rushed out to claim the ball before India could capitalise.
Vietnam maintained control for the remainder of the first half, heading into the break with a narrow advantage.
Valverde’s Changes Spark India
India head coach Amelia Valverde made two key changes at halftime, introducing Sanfida Nongrum and Rimpa Haldar in place of Grace Dangmei and Soumya Guguloth.
The substitutions had an immediate impact. Vietnam thought they had doubled their lead just minutes after the restart when Thi Thao bundled the ball into the net following confusion in the Indian penalty area. However, a VAR review ruled the goal offside, keeping India within touching distance.
Moments later, the Blue Tigresses struck back. In the 52nd minute, Rimpa Haldar drove forward down the left flank before losing possession in a challenge. The loose ball fell kindly to Sanfida Nongrum, who reacted quickly and fired a powerful left-footed shot past Kim Thanh to level the scores.
It was a dream debut moment for Nongrum and a vital equaliser for India.
India Gain Confidence
The goal transformed the momentum of the match. With renewed confidence, India began pushing Vietnam deeper into their half and creating more attacking opportunities. Rimpa delivered a dangerous cross that was met by Pyari Xaxa, whose header forced Kim Thanh into a save just after the hour mark.
Soon after, Nongrum almost added a second goal when she rose to meet a cross from Nirmala Devi, but her header sailed just over the bar. Vietnam gradually regained their rhythm and resumed attacking through the wings. Panthoi remained solid in goal, producing another excellent save in the 76th minute to deny Van Su.
As the match entered stoppage time, it appeared that India had done enough to secure a valuable point. The Blue Tigresses even had a half-chance in the second minute of injury time. Manisha Kalyan attempted a long-range free kick that forced Kim Thanh into a parry. Substitute Kaviya Pakkirisamy chased the rebound, but the Vietnamese goalkeeper reacted quickly to gather the ball.
However, the decisive moment came just two minutes later.
Vietnam substitute Vi Thi Hoa delivered a low cut-back from the right side of the box, finding Van Su in space. The forward calmly slotted the ball past Panthoi to score her second goal of the match and seal a dramatic 2–1 victory.
Watch Indian Live Scores and Play Quiz – Download IndiaSportsHub App
For India, the late goal was a bitter blow after a spirited second-half performance. The Blue Tigresses showed resilience and tactical discipline, particularly after Nongrum’s equaliser, but ultimately fell victim to a moment of defensive lapse in stoppage time.
Despite the defeat, there were several positives for the Indian side notably Panthoi’s impressive goalkeeping and the promising impact of substitutes Nongrum and Haldar. With two group matches remaining in the tournament, India will now look to regroup quickly and keep their hopes of progressing alive in the competition.
