Nonthaburi, Thailand: Maldives National Men’s Futsal Team edged closer to lifting the inaugural SAFF Futsal Championship trophy after a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Nepal, extending their perfect winning run in the tournament.
Maldives made their impressive start to the competition even more memorable by securing their fourth consecutive win.
They had earlier recorded emphatic victories over Pakistan (7–1), Bangladesh (6–1), and India (5–0), but were pushed to their limits by a resilient Nepal side.
With the win, Maldives move to 12 points from four matches and remain the only team with a flawless record.
They now require just two points from their remaining two fixtures against Bhutan and Sri Lanka, both currently at the lower end of the standings. Maldives had the opportunity to clinch the title on the same day, but Pakistan’s 5–1 victory over Bangladesh kept the championship race alive, despite Pakistan’s fate no longer being in their own hands. Maldives can secure the title with a win over Bhutan this Saturday, doing so with a game to spare.
The match, played at the Nonthaburi Province Stadium Indoor Hall, proved challenging for Maldives from the outset. Nepal’s disciplined defensive setup made the first half a difficult contest, with both sides creating clear chances but failing to convert.
Shortly after the restart, Abdulla Shafiu (Shaappe) broke the deadlock, finishing a well-worked move set up by Ahmed Hameed (Ammadey). Shaappe was later involved at the other end, first recovering from an earlier error to clear Bikrant Narsing Rana’s attempt off the goal line. However, Nepal eventually found the equalizer when Bikrant was left unmarked and scored from a corner.
Maldives responded decisively when Shaappe was fouled on the edge of the area by Nepal’s Amit Lama. From the resulting free kick, captain Mohamed Imran (Immi) produced a perfect strike to restore Maldives’ lead.
Nepal pushed hard in the closing stages in search of a second equalizer to keep their title hopes alive. However, Maldives goalkeeper Zaidhaan Ahmed (Asu) delivered an outstanding performance, making several crucial saves to preserve the victory and keep Maldives firmly on course for the championship.
