Ali Thameem
Maldives have defeated Nepal 2-1 at the SAFF Futsal Championship match this afternoon, winning their fourth straight game.
After a goalless first half, Maldives were the team to take the lead early on in the second half, just as in the three games that preceded.
The first goal, scored in the third minute of the second half, paid off with the high press from Maldives, as Ahmed Hameed intercepted a pass inside the Nepal area and crossed it for Abdhullah Shafiu to fire it in.
Nepal were quick to equalize; with back to back corner-kicks, they overwhelmed the Maldivian defense and scored just a minute after conceding.
Maldives took back the lead with seven minutes on the clock, as captain Mohamed Imran struck a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area.
With this afternoon’s victory, the Maldives handed Nepal its very first defeat in the campaign. Maldives are now at twelve points, with a seventeen-goal advantage.
Should Bangladesh versus Pakistan end in a draw, Maldives would win the title with two games in hand. If not, winning Saturday’s game against Bhutan would confirm it.
What’s remarkable is that, having played a total of 160 minutes (or two hours and forty minutes) of futsal across four games, not once was Maldives on the losing side.
