India beat New Zealand 3-0 in the Asian Championship on Monday, 8 September 2026. The hosts had lost both their opening fixtures before this one, while the visitors carried a single defeat into the contest. By then, both sides sat on zero points in the table.
The result lifts India to three points and keeps New Zealand at the bottom with none. Not much separates them yet — two games played against one — but the gap has opened slightly. And here's the thing, these tournaments often turn on early momentum.
India's last outing before this run was a 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei back in September 2023. Since then they have lost three matches in a row, all by the same margin. New Zealand have not won either of their two games, falling 3-0 to Iran and China in succession.
The scoreline mirrors their recent history. Three clean sheets in a row for India, two without a win for the visitors. To be fair, the pattern does not change overnight.