Shillong, Oct 21 (PTI) Sara Didar struck twice as the Indian senior women’s football team suffered a 0-2 defeat against Iran in the opening match of the Tri-Nation friendly football tournament here on Tuesday.
Didar scored in the 64th and 74th minutes to settle the contest in favour of Iran, leaving India searching for answers in their tournament opener at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The Tri-Nation Tournament, which also features Nepal, serves as a preparatory platform for the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026.
For India, the match was a return to action after a historic AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualification campaign earlier this year.
The Blue Tigresses looked off-colour and tentative. Iran, by contrast, were composed, physically superior on the ball, and dictated the rhythm of the game almost from the outset.
The tone was set as early as the fourth minute. A routine cross was fumbled by Panthoi, allowing Fatemeh Shaban Ghohrood to pounce on the loose ball. Only a desperate clearance from Phanjoubam Nirmala Devi prevented Iran from taking the lead, the ball glancing the post and going out of danger..
Iran grew in confidence, stringing together flowing moves, while India struggled to build anything meaningful in the final third.
Iran’s persistence paid off in the 64th minute. Melika Motevaliitaher floated in a precise cross from the right, and India’s backline switched off. An unmarked Zahra Ghanbari rose to head against the crossbar. The ball fell kindly for Sara Didar, also unmarked, who acrobatically smashed home the rebound.
In the 74th minute, Nongmaithem Ratanbala Devi misjudged the bounce of a routine clearance at the top of the box, allowing Didar to snatch the ball. The forward showed no hesitation, rifling a low strike past Panthoi to make it 2-0 and break Indian resistance again.
Iran goalkeeper Raha Yazdani’s first real test came only in the 89th minute, when Lynda Kom Serto’s low free-kick was parried away.
The visitors even came close to adding a third in stoppage time, with Ghohrood racing down the left and rattling the post. By then, the match had long slipped away from India.
The Blue Tigresses will aim to bounce back in their next fixture against Nepal on October 27, while Iran take on Nepal on October 24.
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