India Crash Out Of AFC Women’s Asian Cup After 3-1 Defeat To Chinese Taipei

Last Updated:March 10, 2026, 19:35 IST

The Indian women's football team was eliminated from the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 after a 3–1 loss to Chinese Taipei.

The Indian women’s national football team was eliminated from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 after suffering a 3–1 defeat to the Chinese Taipei women’s national football team in their final group-stage match on Tuesday.

The Blue Tigresses needed a victory by at least two goals to keep their hopes of progressing alive, but despite controlling large stretches of the match and creating several chances, their lack of finishing proved costly.

Early Defensive Errors Set the Tone

Chinese Taipei took the lead in the 12th minute following a costly mistake from India.

A poor back pass from Sanju allowed J. W. Chen to collect the ball and square it across the box for Y. H. Su, who tapped into an empty net after goalkeeper Elangbam Panthoi Chanu had rushed off her line.

India responded strongly and found an equaliser in the 39th minute thanks to a moment of individual brilliance from Manisha Kalyan.

The winger unleashed a stunning long-range strike from around 30 yards, beating the goalkeeper to bring India level before the break.

However, Chinese Taipei regained the lead deep into stoppage time of the first half.

After Pyari Xaxa handled the ball inside the penalty area, the referee awarded a spot-kick. Y. Y. Hsu’s effort struck the post before deflecting off Panthoi and into the net, giving Chinese Taipei a 2–1 advantage at halftime.

India pushed forward in search of an equaliser in the second half but were caught out again in the 77th minute.

Yu-Chin Chen finished off a run down the right flank, beating Panthoi to effectively seal the result and India’s elimination.

Tough Group Proves Costly

India had earlier suffered defeats to both the Japan women’s national football team and the Vietnam women’s national football team in the group stage.

Even though Japan defeated Vietnam 4–0 in the other group match — a result that could have helped India’s chances — the Blue Tigresses’ loss meant they finished outside the qualification places.

Despite the early exit, India’s campaign marked a milestone as the team qualified for the Asian Cup on merit for the first time.

(with PTI inputs)

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