Sri Lanka ends 24-year grudge battle

Hussain Abdullah with his Man of the Match award

By Susil Premalal

Sri Lanka recorded a stunning 3–2 victory over defending champions Maldives in the SAFF Under-20 football championship marking the first win over the hosts in 24 years.

The match was played at the National Stadium in Malé as part of the ongoing tournament, which features seven South Asian nations and runs from March 23 to April 3 under the joint organisation of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Football Association of Maldives.

Sri Lanka, drawn in Group ‘A’ alongside Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan, staged a remarkable comeback after trailing 0-2 at halftime. 

The Maldives took control in the first half with Mohamed Imran scoring twice in the 28th and 45th minutes.

However, Sri Lanka turned the game around with an aggressive second-half performance as Mohamed Katheem pulled one back in the 46th minute before Ahamed Hijaazy equalised in the 63rd minute to make it 2–2.

With both teams battling, Sri Lanka captain Hussain Abdullah converted a penalty in the 88th minute to seal a memorable victory as no further goals were scored thereafter.

Abdullah was named Man of the Match for his decisive performance.

Sri Lanka will face Nepal today followed by the last group match against Bhutan on Friday.

The knockout stage, including the semi-finals and final, is scheduled for April 1 and April 3 respectively.