Bottom of the table Maldives seek first points in final Under-22 qualifier

The Maldives Under-22 football squad will face off against their Kuwaiti counterparts tomorrow in their final qualifying match for next year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-22 Championships.

With tournament qualification in Group C already sealed by Iran and Kuwait, the Maldives, who presently sit at the foot of the same table, face a daunting challenge as they look to seal their first points during the final match of their current campaign.

In the Maldives’ previous game yesterday, the squad were defeated 2-1 by Bahrain after a 61st minute Ahmed Nazim equaliser was cancelled out by a late second-half goal from Hassan Abdqaheri.

The loss came on the back of a 7-0 thrashing by top of the table Iran on Thursday (June 28) and two previous qualifying defeats at the hands of Tajikistan and Qatar.

According to the AFC, the top two teams in each of the seven qualifying groups will qualify for the inaugural Under-22 championship along with the best third-place team. The championship is expected to serve as the official Asian qualifiers for future Olympic tournaments.