Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Thiruvananthapuram: Reigning champions Afghanistan will continue the defence of their SAFF Championship title against Sri Lanka after a convincing 4-1 victory over the Maldives saw the 2013 winners top Group B ahead of the Indian Ocean Islanders.
The first-half of Monday’s top-of-the-table clash Trivandrum International Stadium ended 2-1 in Afghanistan’s favour thanks to a stunning free-kick from Omid Popalzay after Ali Fasir cancelled out the opener from Afghan skipper Faysal Shayesteh. The title holders took control after the interval with two unanswered goals with a second from Popalzay and an Ahmad Hatifie strike setting up a semi-final clash with the 1995 champions and consigning Group B runners-up the Maldives to a tough final-four fixture with 2015/16 SAFF Championship hosts India.
With a place in Thursday’s semi-finals already assured both coaches opted to rest key players and give fringe players some match experience and it was the Maldives, who had star striker Ali Ashfaq on the bench, that created the first opportunities of the match with Ahmed Nashid seeing his shot cleared off the line by Omid Homauni, two minutes after Afghan keeper Ovays Azizi had comfortably saved Ali Fasir’s free-kick on the quarter-of-the-hour mark.
Fasir did get on the scoresheet in the 32nd minute when the New Radiant midfielder capitalised on an error from Anoush Dastgir to draw the Maldives level after Shayesteh broke the deadlock, with the Thailand-based Afghanistan captain latching on to Zubayr Amiri’s header.
But parity was short-lived as the champions regained their lead just two minutes after Fasir’s equaliser when Popalzay swept home a stunning free-kick before the 19-year-old, who plays his club football in the second-tier of Holland with Achilles ’29, completed the scoring with his second and Afghanistan’s fourth with a composed low drive in the 54th minute, three minutes after USA-born midfielder Hatifie had netted number three with a powerful volley following a corner kick.
Photo: Lagardère Sports