Maldives and Sri Lanka were both eliminated from the group stage of the tournament participated by six South Asian countries.[break]
Maldives scored a goal in either half to seal victory. Rizuhaan Ibrahim opened the scoring in the 14th minute of the match. Ibrahim beat an offside trap and scored from the danger area after receiving a pass from Abdul Hannan Dadin.
Maldives captain Rasheed Adhham Ahmed doubled the tally in the 61st minute as Dadin again provided an acute cross to let Ahmed score from the danger area.
Both sides squandered a few scoring opportunities during the match. Ahmed´s long-range strike sailed above the bar in the 15th minute, while Hamdhaan Ali´s free-kick hit the woodwork in the 19th minute.
A Maldives defender cleared a strike from Udyoga Dayanish in an unattended post in the injury time of the first half, while KA Madusanka´s header in a corner from Johar Mohamed Zarwan rebounded off the bar in the 50th minute.
“I want to thank my players as they showed improvement in each game,” said Maldives coach Ihusan Abdul Ghani. “Some of my boys were ill and injured in the beginning of the tournament, but they showed improvement and saved us from finishing the tournament at the bottom,” he added.
Maldives had lost 6-0 to Pakistan and 5-0 against India during the group stage, while Sri Lanka had lost to Bangladesh 6-2 and to Nepal 6-0.
Ghani praised the tournament introduced by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) but asked national associations and the SAFF to increase investment in the tournament.
Nepal to meet Bangladesh once again
Nepal will take on Bangladesh for third place in the tournament on Wednesday. Nepal had played a goalless draw against Bangladesh during the group stage last Thursday.
“We missed the final and the third place playoff is the best available option for us to restore our pride,” said Nepal coach Sunil Shrestha. “The boys are determined to win the match,” he added.
Nepal had lost the semifinal match against India 4-2 in tie-breaker on Monday after the regulation time ended 1-1. Nepal had held on to its 1-0 lead for the most part of the match, but India found the equalizer with only a few seconds remaining in the game.
Midfielder Rungri Hang Rai will be back in the Nepali team on Wednesday after a one-match suspension. On the other hand, Bibek Basnet is doubtful because of injury. If Basnet cannot play against Bangladesh, either Shikhar Mani Kafle or Nabin Gurung will replace him.
Meanwhile, India and Pakistan will vie for the title on Wednesday. Pakistan had defeated India 1-0 in the group stage match.
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