Daka, Bangladesh: Bangladesh netted a late goal in the final moments of the game to secure a 2-1 victory over the Maldives in the second match of the FIFA Friendlies.
Three days ago, the Maldives secured a 1-0 victory over Bangladesh in the first of their two friendly matches. This marked the team's first international game in a year and was a historic win, as it was the Maldives' first-ever victory against Bangladesh on their home soil.
The Maldivian starting lineup was missing only Hamza Mohamed (Hampu), who was sidelined due to illness, with Ahmed Rizwan taking his place. As in the first match, Ali Fasir (Sentey) opened the scoring for the Maldives. In the 23rd minute, Ibrahim Mahudhee (Feydhoo Ibbe) found Sentey in the box, and his low shot found the far corner of the net.
Bangladesh equalized just before halftime. In the 43rd minute, Mojibor Rahman Jony fired a shot from just outside the area that beat the Maldivian goalkeeper to level the score. Shortly after the second half began, Bangladesh’s Rakib Hussain had a long-range shot saved by Maldives keeper Hussain Shareef (Husen).
Maldivian striker Rizwan was then denied by Bangladesh's goalkeeper Mitul Marma, who made a crucial save from a header aimed at the bottom corner after a cross from Naiz Hassan.
As Bangladesh made several changes, their game approach began to shift. In the third minute of added time, Papon Singh was left unmarked in the box and found the back of the net to give Bangladesh a 2-1 win.
This victory marks Bangladesh's ninth win over the Maldives in international football, with the Maldives having won seven times and four matches ending in a draw.
