In an embarrassing Asian Cup qualifier game, Maldives bit the dust overwhelmingly when they faced defeat against Palestine with a score of 8-1.
This marks the biggest defeat and one of the most significant goal differences the Maldivian football team suffered in recent times.
Maldives national team’s coach Darren Stuart had spoken of the challenges the team faced prior to the game while Football Association of Maldives’ (FAM) General Secretary Hussain Jawaad confirmed the team was temporarily detained at the Israeli border as they tried to reach Palestine for the game.
Stuart had highlighted the lengthy travel duration and lack of time for preparation contributed to the heavy loss, however he had also stressed the team could have performed better.
The team reached their destination after 33 hours of traveling causing several physical hindrances on the members according to its coach and FAM General Secretary.
With this game, Palestine rests at the top spot with all wins from games played with a total 15 points while Oman follows closely behind with 12 points. Maldives that falls to Group D of the qualifiers currently rests at third position with 3 points while Bhutan suffers the pit with nil points.
The final qualifier game is slated for March 27, 2018 with Maldives playing at home field against Bhutan.
Palestine had taken possession of the game almost entirely through the 90 minute game time and had scored four goals during the first half. The team had scored another three goals within 15 minutes of second half commencing.
The only goal for Maldives was scored 6 minutes into second half.
Maldives maintained a less than average gameplay and player performance during the game has been below expectations.
Meanwhile FAM has fallen under heavy scrutiny from media and public as they are continuously accused of favoring certain players.
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