Coach Mohan aims to finish the match without a loss

Maldives National Football Team's head coach, Mohamed Shiyaz (Mohan), has stated that his target for the upcoming Asian Cup qualifier match against Tajikistan is to secure a draw or a win.

Maldives will face Tajikistan tomorrow at the National Football Stadium. This is a repeat from 14 years ago, where the Maldives managed to secure a draw against Tajikistan at the Galolhu Stadium.

In the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers played in the Maldives in March 2011, the Maldivian team successfully held Tajikistan to a goalless draw.

The current state of Maldivian football differs significantly from 14 years ago. In that 2011 qualifying group, which also included Kyrgyzstan and Cambodia, Maldives topped the group on goal difference and qualified for the AFC Challenge Cup. Both the Maldives and Tajikistan had secured seven points in the qualifying tournament, with the Maldives finishing first due to superior goal difference.

While Maldivian football has declined, Tajikistan's football has advanced considerably. They recently qualified for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time and progressed all the way to the quarter-finals of that tournament. The coach who led them to those successes was Croatian Petar Šegrt (Sagart), who had also previously worked in the Maldives.

Against this new generation of Tajikistan footballers, who will play in the National Football Stadium, Coach Mohan's aim remains to avoid defeat.

"God willing, I believe we can make a difference. We will try to finish the match at Galolhu Stadium without a loss, or even with a win," Mohan said.

Mohan also spoke about the tactical adjustments needed to achieve this result.

"If they are a stronger team than us, we need to be defensive. If they are a team on par with us, we need to switch to an attacking game. The style, and everything, will change (depending on the opponent)," Mohan explained.

"Therefore, we are adjusting to these factors during this period. We are receiving that cooperation from the players. The work rate in practices is very good. There is absolutely no question about the players' discipline."

The Maldives has lost all three of its matches played so far in this qualifying round. The Maldives is the only team in the group, which also includes the Philippines and Timor-Leste, yet to secure a point.

Mohan mentioned that the fact that they have yet to play a home game in the three matches of the qualifiers is a source of pressure, along with the burden of being on zero points.

The qualifiers, which began last March, initially scheduled the Maldives' first match to be played at home against the Philippines. However, due to the match coinciding with the last 10 days of Ramadan, the Maldives requested to play the match in the Philippines instead. The second leg against the Philippines is scheduled to be played in the Maldives.

In the match played in Tajikistan last Thursday, the Maldives was defeated 2-0.

Mohan expressed confidence that a good result could be achieved in tomorrow's match at Galolhu Stadium, provided they receive the support of the Maldivian fans.

"The result of the support the fans provided was visible even in Sri Lanka," said the coach, referring to the victories the Maldives secured against Sri Lanka last month.

The Sri Lankan coach, Abdullah Al Mutairi, also praised the passion and encouragement the Maldivian supporters gave the team in the two matches played in Sri Lanka.

Tomorrow's match between the Maldives and Tajikistan will kick off at 3:30 PM.