Subas Humagain, Kathmandu
Sri Lanka defeated Maldives 1-0 in their Group B match at Dasharath Stadium on Friday.
Imesha Warnakalasuriya scored the only goal in the first half, giving Sri Lanka 3 points. Nepal and Bhutan will face off in the same group later today at 5:30 PM.
Sri Lanka missed an early chance to score in the 7th minute when Tharmika Siwaneswaran’s shot hit the post after miscommunication between the Maldives’ goalkeeper and defense.
In the 18th minute, Imesha scored with a header after a cross from Pravina Perera, putting Sri Lanka ahead.
Imesha had two more chances in the 33rd minute but was stopped twice by Maldives’ goalkeeper Aminath Leeza. Leeza also blocked a powerful shot by Tharmika in the 37th minute.
Sri Lanka came close again early in the second half but failed to score as Pashkaran Shanu’s rebound shot went over the post. Maldives’ goalkeeper Leeza continued to deny Sri Lanka additional goals throughout the match.