(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Mansoor Ahmad Shines with Hat-Trick as Pakistan Beat Maldives 5-2 in SAFF U-17 Championship
Colombo – September 19, 2025
Pakistan continued their winning run at the SAFF U-17 Championship 2025, securing a commanding 5-2 victory over Maldives in their group-stage clash at the Racecourse Ground in Colombo on Friday.
The star of the match was Mansoor Ahmad, who delivered a stunning first-half hat-trick to put Pakistan firmly in control. He opened the scoring in the 12th minute, doubled the lead in the 32nd, and calmly converted a penalty in the 45th minute to complete his treble before halftime.
Although Maldives briefly threatened with Ali Ilaan’s goal in the 42nd minute, Pakistan quickly responded. Muhammad Abdullah added two more goals for Pakistan — first from the penalty spot in stoppage time of the first half and later in the 61st minute after a brilliant team move.
Maldives’ Mohamed Shayan Shifau pulled one back in the 71st minute, but Pakistan maintained their dominance and closed out the game with confidence.
With this emphatic win, Pakistan now have six points from two matches, following their opening victory against Bhutan. The team has strengthened its chances of reaching the semifinals and will face archrival India in their final group-stage match on Monday, a clash expected to draw huge attention from football fans.
