Pakistan keep semi-final hopes alive with 3-0 win over Maldives in SAFF Championship

Pakistan blew Maldives away in a first-half storm at the National Stadium in Dhaka, winning 3-0 to keep their semi-final hopes alive in the SAFF Championship. After losing their first match to India, Pakistan were on the edge, and only a win against Maldives could keep their semi-final hopes alive.

From the start, Pakistan piled attack after attack on the Maldives defence, leaving the island nation's players bewildered. Barely two minutes had passed when Maldives defender Mohamed Naim fouled Mikail Arun Abdullah inside his own box. The referee did not hesitate to award a penalty, and Abdullah scored from the spot in the fourth minute to send Pakistan into celebration.

Before Maldives could recover from that blow, they fell further behind. In the ninth minute, Najib Ullah doubled the lead with a superb shot from the edge of the box.

A Maldives defence already rattled by two goals then made an even bigger mistake. In the 24th minute, the in-form Najib Ullah pounced on an error by experienced Maldives defender Amdhan Ali, curling a fine long-range diagonal shot to score his second and his team's third goal. With a three-goal lead at half-time, Pakistan had effectively settled the match.

Desperate to get back into the game after the break, Maldives made three changes at once, bringing on star forward Ali Fasir, Hussain Sifau and Nisham Rashid, but still could not find a goal. In the 52nd minute, a shot by Fedu Ibbu went wide.

In the 66th minute, Pakistan goalkeeper and captain Yusuf Ijaz Butt brilliantly saved a low shot from Mohamed Naim to keep his goal intact. A minute later, Maldives put the ball in the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Substitute Shayak Dost could have increased Pakistan's lead further in the 71st minute had he taken his chance. With this win, Pakistan erased the regret of their 3-2 defeat to India and returned to the semi-final race with three points from two matches.

The hero of the win was 19-year-old Najib Ullah. With three goals in two matches, he is now Pakistan's new goal machine at the SAFF Championship, having also scored in the first match against India.

Coach Nolberto Solano's side earned their first win of SAFF Championship 2026, taking three points by beating Maldives after the loss to India.

The group equation now favours Pakistan: if India beat or draw with Maldives in the final group match, Pakistan will play in the semi-final.

Maldives, meanwhile, face a difficult equation and will meet a strong India side in their second match on November 11.