KATHMANDU: India thrashed Maldives 6-0 during the 5th edition of SAFF Women's Championship played at the Sahid Rangasala in Biratnagar, Nepal on Wednesday. India's Grace Dangmei opened the scoring in the eighth minutes and five minutes later Sandhiya Ranganathan added the second goal. Within 27 minutes, India raced to a 4-0 lead, as Indumathi Kathiresan and Sanju notched goals. In the added minutes of the first half, Ratnabalo Devi scored a screamer from a free kick to give her team an unaccessible 5-0 lead before half time. In the second half, Sanju scored her brace and team's sixth goal in the dying minutes. Despite stuttering to a heavy defeat, a small contingent of Maldivan supporters cheered their team from the stand. India will take on Sri Lanka in their second and final group fixture on March 17th at the same stadium. The top two teams from each group will progress into the next round. READ ALSO:

• Nepal off to winning start in SAFF Women’s Championship 2019