Pakistan blank maldives 3-0 in SAFF Championship

Pakistan bag three points against Maldives in Group B of the Tecno SAFF Championship 2026 at National Stadium, Dhaka on Sunday.

Pakistan defeated the Maldives 3-0, with 19-year-old forward Najib Ullah scoring two goals.

Najib made his national team debut in a match against India, by scoring a goal in that game.

The youngster demonstrated his potential in his second match against Maldives.

Pakistan’s path to the semi-finals became difficult after a 3-2 defeat to India in their opening match. But on Sunday’s victory has revived that possibility.

To reach the final four, Pakistan will now have to rely on the outcome of the final group-stage match involving India. If the Maldives lose to India on November 11, Pakistan will qualify for the semi-finals.

Pakistan were aggressive from the very start against the Maldives. In the fourth minute of the match, Mikael Abdullah scored from a penalty to put his team ahead.

Five minutes later, Najib doubled the lead. Conceding two early goals effectively took the Maldives out of the contest. Their defense was repeatedly troubled by Pakistan’s attacks. In the 24th minute, Najib scored his second goal, all but sealing the victory for Pakistan.

Despite maintaining about 50 percent ball possession in the first half, the Maldives failed to register a single shot on the opponent’s goal. They attempted to play with more aggression after the break, but could not find a goal.

Pakistan didn’t have such an easy time against India. India dominated for the majority of the match, though Pakistan managed to narrow the deficit by scoring two goals in stoppage time.

It was in that very match that Najib scored his first goal for the national team. That debut goal seems to have boosted the young forward’s confidence.