Bangkok, Thailand - Maldives National Men’s Futsal Team continued their impressive run at the inaugural SAFF Futsal Championship, securing a dominant 6–1 victory over Bangladesh to tighten their grip at the top of the men’s division standings.
Maldives are now the only team across both the men’s and women’s competitions to record victories in their opening two matches. Following a commanding 7–1 win over Pakistan in their opener, the men’s team maintained their momentum with another authoritative performance, underlining their early dominance in the tournament.
With two wins from two matches, Maldives sit top of the standings with six points. Nepal and Pakistan follow with three points each, Pakistan having played two matches, while Nepal earned their points with a 2–1 victory over Sri Lanka. Pakistan also defeated Bhutan 4–2. India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Bangladesh are level on one point each, with India having played just one match so far.
Playing at the Hua Mak Indoor Stadium, Maldives launched into attack immediately from kickoff. Captain Mohamed Imran (Immi) opened the scoring inside 40 seconds, finishing a well-worked kick-in with a precise effort into the top corner.
The pressure continued, and in the ninth minute Ishan Ibrahim (Sattu) capitalized on an attacking move inside the area to double the lead. Just a minute later, Ahmed Raahil Rasheedh (Raakko) made it 3–0, further extending Maldives’ advantage.
Maldives’ fourth goal came from the penalty spot, converted by Ali Shiyah (Shiyalhey) after his goal-bound effort was deliberately handled on the line by Bangladeshi Mostafa Chowdhary. The incident resulted in a red card for Chowdhary for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Bangladesh managed to pull one back before halftime through Kazi Ibrahim, who struck a well-taken shot from outside the area into the top corner.
After the restart, Bangladesh attempted to mount a response with quick attacking moves, but Maldives goalkeepers Zaidhaan Ahmed (Asu) and Ibrahim Najih (Hate) produced several key saves to maintain control.
Maldives soon restored their dominance when Imran’s low effort was turned in by Raakko, who netted his second of the match to make it 5–1.
In the closing moments, with Bangladesh deploying a power play, Abdulla Shafiu (Shaappe) sealed the victory by scoring Maldives’ sixth goal from inside his own half.
Following the match, Maldives will take a three-day break before returning to action against India on January 20. They will then complete their league-stage fixtures against Nepal on January 22, Bhutan on January 24, and Sri Lanka on January 26, as they continue their push for success at the SAFF Futsal Championship.
