The Maldives national team delivered a spirited performance, putting Sri Lanka under significant pressure in their fifth match of the SAFF Women’s Futsal Championship.
Despite their relentless efforts, the Maldives narrowly lost the encounter with a final score of 7-6 in favor of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka seized an early advantage, netting three quick goals to establish a commanding lead. However, the Maldivian side showed remarkable resilience, fighting back to equalize the score at 3-3.
Aminath Fazla opened the scoring for the Maldives, followed by an own goal from Sri Lanka triggered by a corner delivered by Noora. Captain Fathimath Shaliya then scored the third goal to level the match. Sri Lanka managed to regain the lead just before the end of the first half.
In the second half, Fazla struck again to find her second goal of the match, bringing the Maldives level for the second time. The intensity increased as Sri Lanka responded with another goal to reclaim the lead, which came off an unfortunate deflection from Maldivian player Hanifa.
Undeterred, the Maldives continued their pursuit and equalized for the third time after a corner from Captain Shaliya resulted in an own goal by the Sri Lankan goalkeeper. However, the see-saw battle continued as Sri Lanka took the lead for the fourth time within a minute of the Maldivian equalizer.
Sri Lanka further extended their lead to 7-5 through another deflection off a Maldivian player. The Maldives managed to close the gap to a single goal when Raniya Ibrahim successfully converted a long-range penalty.
This match marked the fifth appearance for both teams in the tournament. The Maldives will play their final match against Bangladesh on the 25th of this month.
