SAFF DIARY - FROM MALE
Sunday, 10 October
* The Sri Lanka vs. Maldives kicked off amid grand fanfare
* There were protests outside the stadium by fans who could not buy tickets for the match
* Sri Lankan Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa was present in the stadium to witness the match
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Maldives celebrate Ali Ashfaq’s sixth-minute goal yesterday. Photo FFSL[/caption]
A goal by Ali Ashfaq helped Maldives register a 1-0 win over Sri Lanka in yet another fixture of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, worked off here at the National Football Stadium, Maldives.
The hosts scored in the sixth minute when a brilliant through-ball found the experienced striker who easily tapped it in, to take the early lead.
Nepal was to meet India last evening. The last two matches of the ten-match league phase of the tournament are set for Wednesday (13); between Bangladesh and Nepal at 4 p.m. before India vs. Maldives at 9 p.m.
The final is scheduled for Saturday (16) at 8 p.m. with the top two nations out of the five participants being expected to lock horns.