Defeated by Philippines, Maldives remain at bottom after five games

The Maldives has been beaten 2-0 by the Philippines in the fifth fixture of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifying’s third round, played this evening at the Galolhu National Stadium.

Maldives had previously lost to the Philippines in the opening fixture of the qualifying, played away at New Clark City in March this year. The game had ended 4-1.

The national team was not able to recover a single point in the three games that followed. Having been defeated by Tajikistan in both fixtures and having lost to Timor-Leste, Maldives remain at the bottom of the Group A table of the qualifiers.

For this evening’s game, Maldives had made two changes to the line-up. Winger Ibrahim Rizuvan and midfielder Aisham Ibrahim both returned to the starting eleven. Aisham had been suspended when the Maldives hosted Tajikistan last month.

After missing a goal-scoring opportunity just after kick off this evening, Maldives fell back on the defensive and conceded two goals before half time. The first goal came through a 25th-minute  corner kick, which the Philippines’ Jefferson headed in. The second goal was scored by Sandro Reyes in the 37th minute, from just inside the eighteen-yard box.

This was only the second match since 2023 played by Red Snappers at home in Galolhu Stadium. It is also the fifth match under head coach Mohamed Shiyaz. For Maldives, this was the national team’s fifth defeat in seven games versus the Philippines. The only win for Maldives against the Southeast Asian nation came in the a game played at home sixteen years ago.