The Maldives national football team reignited their hopes of making it to the final of the 2012 Nehru Cup with a dramatic win over Syria yesterday evening.
After taking the lead via captain Ali Ashfag just before the 60 minute mark, victory appeared to have been squandered when Syria’s Alaa Alshbbli equalised with a stunning overhead kick in the 81st minute.
However, the Maldives grabbed a late winner three minutes into added time as Ahmed Rashid turned in an Ashfag cross to seal a 2-1 victory.
The win sees the Maldives retain second place in the table, level on points with India who play this evening. At present, the squad are 2 points ahead of Cameroon, whom the Maldives face tomorrow evening in their final group game.
The top two teams will play in the tournament final on September 2.