India will face hosts Bangladesh in the semifinal. Goals from Ahmed Thoriq (15th) and Fazeel Ibrahim (83rd) at the Bangabandhu Stadium helped the Maldives finish the group as toppers and they will take on Sri Lanka in the other semifinal.
India rested some of their key players, including goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya and skipper Sushil Singh. The Maldives were undoubtedly the better team and took the lead in the 15th minute as the Indian defence was caught off-guard. Thoriq slammed in a clever pass from Ali Ashfaq
India were reduced to 10 men at the hour mark when striker Balwant Singh was given marching orders after being booked for the second time due to an awkward dive. Maldives doubled the lead through Ibrahim with seven minutes left from the final whistle.
Published 09 December 2009, 17:40 IST