Riyadh: United Arab Emirates made it two wins from two on the road to the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020, securing a straightforward 3-0 success over Maldives on Sunday.

Under the tutelage of Polish head coach Maciej Skorza, the Emiratis have now racked up nine goals in their two Group D wins, setting up a decisive encounter with group hosts Saudi Arabia on the third and final matchday on Tuesday.


Following on from their 6-1 defeat of Lebanon 48 hours earlier, UAE took the lead through Al Wahda forward Mohammad Al Hammadi in the 29th minute.

Petar Segrt's Maldives side were able to keep the highly-fancied UAE at bay until half-time, but they conceded just four minutes into the second half, with Zayed Al Ameri - fresh from a hat-trick against Lebanon - finding the net shortly after being introduced as a substitute.

Any chance of an unlikely revival was extinguished once and for all when Mohamed Ali added a third goal in the 76th minute, as the West Asian powerhouse secured a comprehensive win.

While UAE still have it all to play for on Tuesday, Maldivian hopes of a place in the Finals are all but dashed, after two heavy losses in their opening two matches.


Source: the-afc.com

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement