Last night saw the start to the 2026 SAFF U-20 Championship in Maldives, with Maldives and Sri Lanka playing the first match. Maldives had taken the lead in the first half with two goals but Sri Lanka managed to mount a comeback and win the game with a 3-2 score line.
The match was played at the Galolhu Stadium, with the Maldivian youth team demonstrating good play and match control. Maldivians had placed quite a bit of trust in their team when Maldives scored their two goals within the first half.
Both of the goals were scored by Captain Ilan Imran. The first goal was scored in the 28th minute, where Ahmed Mikyal Mueen's pass to Ilan saw him dribble past the goalkeeper to score. The second goal was scored during extra time by Ilan with an assist from Ahzam Rasheed.
However, everything changed in the second half, when Sri Lanka launched their attacks. The Sri Lankan team never lost hope and scored three goals within a short period of time, reversing the result of the match. This was a sad time for Maldivian supporters.
Sri Lanka's goals were scored by Mohamed Katheem, Ahamed Hijaazy and Captain Hussain Abdullah. The third goal scored by Hussain Abdullah was via a penalty.
Match Summary:
- First half: Maldives 2-0 Sri Lanka.
- Second half: Sri Lanka scored three goals and won the match.
- Match results: Sri Lanka 3-2 Maldives.
With this loss, Maldives has to work even harder to reach the semi finals. Nepal beat Bhutan with a score of 2-1 in their match yesterday evening.
Today's matches will be played by Group B. Bangladesh and Pakistan will be playing against each other at 3:45pm.
