Pakistan men’s football team registered a historic 3-0 win over Maldives in the third match of the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament at the National Football Stadium.
The victory was Pakistan’s first against Maldives since their 2-0 win in the final of the 1991 South Asian Games. It was also Pakistan’s first win in international football since their 1-0 victory over Cambodia in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in October 2023.
The match began with both teams struggling to break the deadlock, and the first half ended goalless at 0-0.
Pakistan took the lead in the 54th minute when forward Umer Nawaz opened the scoring. Fellow striker Abdul Samad Arshad doubled the advantage 30 minutes later to put the Green Shirts in a strong position.
Pakistan sealed the result in the 87th minute when Harun Hamid scored a sensational goal to make it 3-0. The score remained unchanged until the final whistle.
The result marked a strong comeback for Pakistan after they were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Bangladesh in their opening match at the same venue on Monday. Bangladesh had been reduced to 10 men after captain Monjurur Rahman was shown a red card, but Pakistan were unable to find a winner.
The victory over Maldives has also boosted Pakistan’s chances of qualifying from the league stage of the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament. The Green Shirts moved to the top of the table with four points from two matches and a goal difference of three.
Pakistan will face Afghanistan in their final league-stage match at the same venue on Sunday.
