SHILLONG, Feb 5 - Defending champion India was held to a 0-0 draw here today at Polo grounds by a spirited Maldivian defence in the second women�s football match of the South Asian Games.
The result led to wild celebrations in the Maldivian camp because close to 90 minutes the match was played in the Maldivian half.
However, the resilient Maldivian defence held their head, braving the repeated Indian onslaughts, a chilly weather and the strong crowd support for the hosts.
Captain Bembem Devi, Sasmita Devi, Dangmei Grace and Kamala Devi made several attempts at the Maldivian goal, but failed to hit the back of the net.
A jubilant Maldivian coach Naoko Kawamoto described the result as a victory for the team because �India is the strongest contender for the title of the tournament.�
�We are extremely happy with the result. The girls played to a game plan. Now we would look for our next match,� Kawamoto said.
On the other hand Indian coach Sajid Y Dar expressed disappointment with the results and said they would come back strongly in the next match.
�We made some errors in the match and moreover our best striker Ng Bala Devi was missing in this game due to injury and would be fit for the next match,� the Indian Coach said.
Dar further said today�s result would not have any bearing on the team�s confidence to lift the title once again. �We were confident before today�s match and we are still confident that we will do well in the tournament,� the Indian coach stated.
Meanwhile, India would be facing Sri Lanka next Tuesday and Maldives would play Nepal on February 7.
On the other hand, the 12th South Asian Games kicked off here with Nepal defeating Bangladesh 3-0 in the inaugural match of women�s football tournament played in the morning.
Right from the start Nepal dominated the match with Dipa Adhikari opening the score in the third minute of the match for Nepal.
In the 17th minute Anu Lama doubled the score for the Himalayan Nation and Neru Thapa hitting the back of the net in the 21st minute.