Sri Lanka Triumphs Over Chinese Taipei with a 3-1 Victory in AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers
Three goals in ten minutes during the second half saw Sri Lanka defeat Chinese Taipei 3-1, securing a crucial win in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round Group D encounter held at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The victory marked a strong comeback for Sri Lanka after their opening day defeat to Thailand, while Chinese Taipei suffered their second consecutive loss in the campaign.
Ranked 200th in the world, Sri Lanka needed a positive result in front of their home fans and started brightly against 166th-ranked Chinese Taipei. Waseem Razeek’s incisive through ball found Sam Durrant, but his attempt was blocked by Taipei’s Hsieh Ming-You.
Chinese Taipei’s best chance of the first half came through their captain Chen Po-Liang, whose effort required a sharp save from Sri Lanka’s skipper Sujan Perera to keep the scores level.
Sri Lanka’s best opportunity before the break also fell to Durrant, who capitalized on a wayward back-pass, but his right-footed strike was denied by a fingertip save from goalkeeper Huang Chiu-Lin.
Half Time: Sri Lanka 0 – 0 Chinese Taipei
Sri Lanka broke the deadlock in the 49th minute of the second half when Dillon De Silva delivered a pinpoint cross from the left. Adhavan Rajamohan, with a brilliant first touch, turned away from the defenders and finished neatly to give the hosts a deserved lead.
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The hosts doubled their lead just four minutes later, thanks to high pressing from Waseem Razeek, which forced a mistake from Wu Chun-Ching. Dillon De Silva capitalized on the error and made no mistake in finishing past Chiu-Lin to make it 2-0.
In the 58th minute, Waseem combined beautifully with Anujan Rajendram to net Sri Lanka’s third goal, finally ending his three-and-a-half-year goal drought for the national team.
The visitors pulled one back in the 70th minute through substitute Huang Wei-Chieh, but Sri Lanka managed the remainder of the match with composure and control to seal a well-deserved 3-1 victory.
Full Time: Sri Lanka 3 – 1 Chinese Taipei
Match Summary
Goal Scorers
Sri Lanka – Adhavan Rajamohan 49’, Dillon De Silva 53’ & Waseem Razeek 58’
Chinese Taipei – Huang Wei-Chieh 70’
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