Pakistan revived their semi-final hopes in the SAFF Championship with a commanding 3-0 victory over Maldives in their second Group B fixture at the National Football Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday.
A first-half brace from Najeebullah Bettani, alongside an early penalty converted by McKeal Aroon Abdullah, helped Pakistan register their first victory of the tournament and put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the last four.
Pakistan made an aggressive start and took the lead in the fourth minute when they were awarded a penalty.
McKeal Abdullah stepped up and calmly converted from the spot to give the Green Shirts an early advantage.
Pakistan continued to press forward and doubled their lead through Najeebullah, who produced a well-timed finish after Junaid Shah delivered an excellent cross from the left.
Najeebullah made a perfectly timed run into the box, got ahead of his marker and poked the ball home.
The forward then completed his brace with a superb individual effort. With Pakistan defending deep in their own half, the ball was cleared upfield, where Najeebullah brought it under control on the right before unleashing a powerful strike past the helpless Maldives goalkeeper.
Pakistan’s three-goal advantage at half-time reflected their attacking efficiency, with the side making the most of their opportunities to put the contest beyond their opponents.
Despite enjoying slightly more possession, Maldives struggled to translate it into meaningful attacking opportunities.
Pakistan, meanwhile, were more threatening in front of goal, registering 15 shots, including five on target, compared to Maldives’ seven attempts, only one of which tested the goalkeeper.
Both sides pushed for more goals after the interval, but neither could find the breakthrough as the second half ended goalless, leaving Pakistan with a convincing 3-0 victory.
The result marked a significant response from Pakistan following their 3-2 defeat against arch-rivals India in their opening Group B encounter on November 5.
Pakistan had trailed 3-0 at half-time in that match before producing a spirited late comeback.
Najeebullah and Alamgir Ghazi scored in stoppage time to reduce the deficit, but India held on to secure all three points.
The 2026 SAFF Championship, running from Nov 5 to 17 in Bangladesh, features six participating teams divided into two groups. Group ‘B’ comprises Pakistan, India and Maldives, while hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan are in Group ‘A’.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
With their victory over Maldives, Pakistan have moved into a stronger position in the qualification race but must now wait for the outcome of the remaining Group ‘B’ fixture between India and Maldives, scheduled for Nov 11.
Maldives will need a substantial victory over India to overtake Pakistan in the group standings and secure qualification.
Otherwise, Pakistan and India will progress to the semi-finals.
For Pakistan, the emphatic win provides a timely boost after their opening defeat and puts them within touching distance of a place in the last four.
Source: dawn
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