It was the first time for the India Ocean archipelago to bag the championship cup since the event started in 1993.
Mukthar Naseer unleashed a powerful shot into India's citadel when the match was into its 88th minute, leaving the defending champion very little time to revenge.
The Maldives' players played well with the presence of Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and thousands of fans from their country.
India won the championship four times in 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2005 while the Maldives emerged runner up in 1997 and 2003.
The winners carried away the SAFF Championship Cup and a purse worth 50,000 U.S. dollars, while the runner-up got 25,000 dollars.
The championship, starting on June 3, was co-hosted by Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Maldives and India made their way to the final after defeating Sri Lanka and Bhutan respectively Wednesday night.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan also participated in this year's championship.
Source: xinhuanet.com
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