Sri Lanka eye back-to-back wins against Turkmenistan

Sri Lanka team that beat Turkmenistan in the Colombo match. The team for today’s match will be selected from the squad comprising Sujan Perera, Kaveesh Fernando, Mohammed Hashmeer, Jason Thavaparan, Anujan Rajendran, Claudio Kammerknecht, Zah Addis, William Thomason, Mohammed Munsif, Garret Kelly, Adhavan Rajmohan, Niloshan Senthuwasan, Leon Perera, Gerami Perera, Barath Suresh, Aman Faizer, Waseem Razeek, Wade Dekker, Oliver Kelaart, Sam Durrant, Dillon de Silva and Rahul Suresh

By Susil Premalal

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2027 Qualifying Round (Group D) second-leg match between Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan is scheduled to take place today (October 14) at 6.15 pm at the Arkadag Stadium in Turkmenistan.
Group ‘D’ of the qualifiers comprises Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Chinese Taipei.
Sri Lanka have made an impressive start to their campaign, securing a 1–0 victory against Turkmenistan and a 3–1 win over Chinese Taipei in the first-leg encounters while narrowly losing 0–1 to Thailand.
With two wins out of three matches, Sri Lanka currently occupy second place in Group ‘D’, while Turkmenistan lead the standings.
Following today’s encounter, Sri Lanka are scheduled to play Thailand in Colombo on November 18, and will face Chinese Taipei away on March 31, 2026, for their final second-leg fixtures.
Given that Sri Lanka defeated Turkmenistan in Colombo, the home team is expected to make a strong push to avenge their earlier loss in today’s match.
Sri Lanka, riding high on confidence after consecutive victories, are determined to continue their winning momentum and secure another crucial triumph. A win today would also help Sri Lanka improve their FIFA World Ranking, currently at 197th position.
This campaign marks the first time in recent history that Sri Lanka has defeated two international opponents in competitive fixtures, signaling a significant step forward for football.