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Pakistan moved closer to securing a place in the semi-finals after producing a dominant 3-0 victory over Maldives in their second Group B match of the SAFF Cup at National Stadium Dhaka on Sunday.
Pakistan scored all three goals in the first half.
McKeal Abdullah opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Najeebullah Bettani struck twice to put Pakistan firmly in control of the vital encounter.
Bettani doubled Pakistan’s advantage with a well-timed finish after Junaid Shah delivered an inviting cross from the left. The forward made a perfectly timed run into the penalty area to get ahead of his marker and poke the ball past the goalkeeper.
He then completed his brace with an impressive individual effort. Collecting a clearance on the right after Pakistan had defended deep in their own half, Bettani brought the ball under control before unleashing a powerful strike beyond the helpless Maldives goalkeeper.
The Maldives enjoyed slightly more possession but struggled to turn it into meaningful attacking opportunities, while Pakistan proved more threatening in the final third.
Pakistan registered 15 shots, five of them on target, compared with the Maldives’ seven attempts, of which only one was on target.
Both teams looked for further goals after the interval, but neither managed to find the breakthrough as Pakistan comfortably saw out the contest to claim all three points.
Pakistan must now await the outcome of the remaining Group match between the Maldives and India to confirm their semi-final qualification.
The Maldives need a substantial victory over India on November 11 to overhaul Pakistan and keep their hopes of reaching the last four alive. Otherwise, Pakistan and India will advance to the semi-finals.
In their earlier game Pakistan had lost to India 3-2 after a sensational finish.
