World Cup 2026 Qualifier: Sri Lanka go down 3-0 to Yemen in first leg

Sri Lankan went down 3-0 to Yemen in the first leg of the World Cup 2026 Qualifier at Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Sports Complex in Abha, Saudi Arabia on Thursday. 

Even though they conceded 3 goals it was a very gutsy performance by the Lankan lads who held the fort for 32 minutes, depriving their rivals of any scoring opportunities. From the outset the visitors never gave their rivals an opportunity to sneak through their defences.

The visitors made some teasing moves in the first quarter of the game, where they came close to scoring but failed to put the finishing touches. Ahmed Maher chipped in to break the deadlock to open the score for Yemen, who went into the breather leading 1-0.

After the turn around it was a ding-dong battle as Yemen made some quick changes to their players in key positions to make use of their experience. Once again, the winners capitalised on unforced errors to score in the 67th minute through Naseer Ahamed Al-Gahwashi from a long-range kick, while they sealed the game in the 93rd minute through the boot of Abdul Wasea Al-Matari, whose free kick curled into the net past a hapless Lankan goal keeper Sujan Perera.

After a year-long break due to suspension, the National Team participated in this match with a mere 4 weeks of training, which was a big ask from them. Nevertheless, their performance has to be commended and are expected to put up a better performance when they play hosts against the same team in the second league on 17 October at Race Course stadium at 3.00 p.m.                                           (AN)