SAFF Championship: Pakistan cruise past Maldives 3-0, close in on semi-final spot

<p>Pakistan revived their semi-final hopes in the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2041984">SAFF Championship</a> with a commanding 3-0 victory over Maldives in their second Group B fixture at the National Football Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday.</p> <p>A first-half brace from Najeebullah Bettani, alongside an early penalty converted by McKeal Aroon Abdullah, helped Pakistan register their first victory of the tournament and put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the last four.</p> <p>Pakistan made an aggressive start and took the lead in the fourth minute when they were awarded a penalty.</p> <p>McKeal Abdullah stepped up and calmly converted from the spot to give the Green Shirts an early advantage.</p> <figure class="media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet"> <div class="media__item media__item--twitter "><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealPFF/status/2119347689578250735"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>Pakistan continued to press forward and doubled their lead through Najeebullah, who produced a well-timed finish after Junaid Shah delivered an excellent cross from the left.</p> <p>Najeebullah made a perfectly timed run into the box, got ahead of his marker and poked the ball home.</p> <p>The forward then completed his brace with a superb individual effort. With Pakistan defending deep in their own half, the ball was cleared upfield, where Najeebullah brought it under control on the right before unleashing a powerful strike past the helpless Maldives goalkeeper.</p> <p>Pakistan’s three-goal advantage at half-time reflected their attacking efficiency, with the side making the most of their opportunities to put the contest beyond their opponents.</p> <p>Despite enjoying slightly more possession, Maldives struggled to translate it into meaningful attacking opportunities.</p> <p>Pakistan, meanwhile, were more threatening in front of goal, registering 15 shots, including five on target, compared to Maldives’ seven attempts, only one of which tested the goalkeeper.</p> <p>Both sides pushed for more goals after the interval, but neither could find the breakthrough as the second half ended goalless, leaving Pakistan with a convincing 3-0 victory.</p> <p>The result marked a significant response from Pakistan following their 3-2 defeat against arch-rivals India in their opening Group B <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2042348">encounter</a> on November 5.</p> <figure class="media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet"> <div class="media__item media__item--twitter "><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealPFF/status/2119352026656342451"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>Pakistan had trailed 3-0 at half-time in that match before producing a spirited late comeback.</p> <p>Najeebullah and Alamgir Ghazi scored in stoppage time to reduce the deficit, but India held on to secure all three points.</p> <p>The 2026 SAFF Championship, running from Nov 5 to 17 in <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1985136">Bangladesh</a>, features six participating teams divided into two groups. Group ‘B’ comprises Pakistan, India and Maldives, while hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan are in Group ‘A’.</p> <p>The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.</p> <p>With their victory over Maldives, Pakistan have moved into a stronger position in the qualification race but must now wait for the outcome of the remaining Group ‘B’ fixture between India and Maldives, scheduled for Nov 11.</p> <p>Maldives will need a substantial victory over India to overtake Pakistan in the group standings and secure qualification.</p> <p>Otherwise, Pakistan and India will progress to the semi-finals.</p> <p>For Pakistan, the emphatic win provides a timely boost after their opening defeat and puts them within touching distance of a place in the last four.</p>