Courtesy: X
On Monday, December 30, in a dramatic turn of events on the football field, one of the sideline referees was attacked by bees during India women’s football team’s friendly against Maldives at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru. The incident caused the game between India and Maldives to be interrupted briefly, and it quickly got viral after the clip of the sideline referee was posted on the social media platform X.
In the viral video, the sideline referee was seen running for his life all around the field, attempting to escape the bee attack in the 44th minute of the contest. At this stage of the match, India had a commanding 7-0 lead over Maldives in their first of two FIFA Women’s International Friendly in Bengaluru before the officials had no choice but to put a temporary stop to the proceedings on the pitch, ensuring that no one else got stung by the bees.
Watch the video here:
India defeated Maldives 14-0 in FIFA Women's International Friendly
After the contest restarted, the Indian women’s football team kept showcasing their attacking prowess to the maximum, scoring seven more goals in total against Maldives. Ultimately, the hosts won the match with a whopping 14-0 scoreline against the island nation from the Indian ocean, and for her exceptional performance, Lynda Kom was given the player of the match award.
Moreover, as the 69th ranked team in the FIFA Women’s Rankings, India were expected to dominate Maldives, who are ranked 163rd in the world, especially with their one-sided record against them. In their six previous meetings before today’s result, the Indian women’s football team scored 43 goals and conceded none against Maldives, winning five of those, while the one finished in a nil-nil draw.
The last meeting between these two nations in women’s football prior to today’s contest, India had defeated Maldives 9-0 in the SAFF Women’s Championship 2022.
