Debutant Najeebullah scores twice and McKeal Abdullah converts an early penalty as a home-based squad leaves Pakistan needing only to avoid a heavy Maldives win over India.
DHAKA/LAHORE: Pakistan beat the Maldives 3-0 at Dhaka’s National Stadium on Sunday, scoring all three goals in the first 24 minutes. The win revived a SAFF Championship campaign that had begun with defeat to India and moved Pakistan to the edge of their first semi-final in eight years.
McKeal Abdullah scored from the penalty spot in the fourth minute, and striker Najeebullah, on his first senior call-up, added goals in the ninth and 24th minutes. Najeebullah now has three goals in the tournament.
Pakistan started fast. In the second minute, Maldives defender Mohamed Naim brought down Abdullah in the area, and Abdullah sent the penalty in himself two minutes later.
The Maldives had barely regrouped when Najeebullah struck from the edge of the box. His second goal came from a defensive mistake: Amdhan Ali gave the ball away and the striker curled a long-range diagonal shot past the goalkeeper.
The Maldives made three changes at half-time, bringing on Ali Fasir, Hussain Sifaau and Nisham Rasheed, and pressed harder after the break. Pakistan goalkeeper and captain Yousuf Ijaz Butt saved low from Naim in the 66th minute, a Maldives goal was ruled out for offside a minute later, and substitute Shayak Dost missed a chance to make it four in the 71st minute.
From India heartbreak to control
The result followed a dramatic 3-2 defeat by holders India on Thursday. India, coached by Noushad Moosa and fielding a largely second-string squad, led 3-0 through two goals from Suhail Ahmed Bhat and one from Manglenthang Kipgen. Pakistan scored twice in stoppage time through a Najeebullah header from Junaid Shah’s cross and a close-range finish by Alamgir Ghazi. Dost had earlier skied a penalty.
That late fightback, and Sunday’s clean sheet, give Pakistan a goal difference of +2 after both of their group matches: three points, five goals scored, three conceded.
What Pakistan need now
Only the top two teams in Group B reach the semi-finals, and India’s match with the Maldives on Wednesday, Nov 11, will decide the order. If India win or draw, Pakistan finish second and qualify.
If the Maldives win, all three teams finish on three points, and the tiebreakers in the tournament regulations will apply. On goal difference, a narrow Maldives win would still leave Pakistan ahead, and only a heavy Maldives victory over India would overtake Pakistan’s +2. Pakistan’s place in the last four is therefore very likely but not yet mathematically guaranteed.
The semi-finals are on Nov 14, with the Group B winner playing the Group A runner-up and the Group A winner facing the Group B runner-up. The final is on Nov 17. Hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan make up Group A.
A home-grown squad under Solano
The win carries extra weight because of who delivered it. The tournament falls outside a FIFA international window, so Pakistan travelled without their overseas-based players, many of whom play in Europe. Head coach Nolberto Solano, the former Newcastle United and Peru winger appointed in July 2025, named a 28-man squad built largely on home-based players and youngsters.
Najeebullah and midfielder Muhammad Junaid earned their first senior call-ups after playing for Pakistan at the SAFF Under-20 Championship in the Maldives earlier this year. Within a week, Najeebullah has scored in both of Pakistan’s matches.
Before the tournament, Solano set the semi-finals as the target and told his players to treat each group game as a final. “The first final will be against India and the second against the Maldives,” he said. He has done that with a squad missing several first-choice players. His assistants include former Newcastle and England Under-21 defender Titus Bramble.
Why it matters at home
Pakistan are ranked 197th in the world by FIFA and have never reached a SAFF final. Their best finish is third place in 1997. They last reached the semi-finals in Dhaka in 2018, and at the 2023 edition they lost all their group matches, including a 4-0 defeat to India.
The team’s recent record was mixed. At the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia, Pakistan lost 4-0 to Thailand, drew 2-2 with the Philippines and lost 4-2 to Vietnam. For a sport that has long been overshadowed by cricket’s claim on resources, a run to the last four with a home-based squad would give the Pakistan Football Federation a case for investing in domestic leagues and youth teams.
Pakistani sport has had other regional successes this season, including the women’s team’s semi-final win over Thailand at the Asian Games. Football fans will now be watching Wednesday’s India-Maldives match closely.
For the Maldives, Sunday’s defeat in their first match means they must now beat India on Wednesday to stay in the tournament.
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