Sri Lanka delivered a rousing performance on home soil to defeat Chinese Taipei 3-1 in Matchday 2 of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifying Round 3, Group D, on Tuesday (10) at the Colombo Racecourse.

The hosts came to life in the second half, scoring three goals in just 10 minutes through Adhavan Rajamohan, Dillion De Silva, and Ahmed Waseem Razeek to stunhigher-ranked Chinese Taipei side. Despite a late strike by Huang Wei-chieh in the 70th minute, Sri Lanka held firm to register a well-earned and much-needed win.

This result marks Sri Lanka’s first three points in the group after a narrow 0-1 defeat to Thailand on Matchday 1 in Bangkok. Chinese Taipei, meanwhile, remain without a point following their earlier 1-2 loss at home to Turkmenistan.

Group D, which includes Thailand and Turkmenistan, remains wide open, with only the top team progressing to the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The third round of qualifying comprises 24 teams split into 6 groups, with each group engaging in home-and-away round-robin fixtures.

With momentum on their side and the Colombo crowd behind them, Sri Lanka will now aim to carry this form into their upcoming fixtures as they chase a historic AFC Asian Cup berth.