Pakistan recorded their first win of the SAFF Championship 2026 on Sunday, beating Maldives 3-0 in their Group B fixture at the National Football Stadium in Dhaka.

The Green Shirts made a fast start and were rewarded inside four minutes when they were awarded a penalty. McKeal Aroon Abdullah stepped up and converted from the spot to put Pakistan 1-0 ahead.

Pakistan kept pressing after the early goal, and their pressure soon produced a second. Najeebullah Bettani finished clinically to double the lead, and the forward struck again before half-time to complete his brace and send Pakistan into the interval 3-0 ahead.

Maldives struggled to find any attacking rhythm throughout the match. Pakistan's organised defence kept their opponents from creating clear chances, and neither side added to the scoring in the second half as Pakistan saw out a comfortable victory.

Bettani's two goals capped a first half in which Pakistan dictated possession and repeatedly stretched the Maldivian defence, while Maldives were unable to build any sustained pressure of their own. The clean sheet mattered as much as the goals: after conceding three times against India in their opener, Pakistan looked far more secure at the back in Dhaka.

The win gives Pakistan three points from two Group B matches. Their opening defeat had left them needing a response, and the manner of this victory, with all three goals scored before half-time, delivered exactly that. Maldives, meanwhile, are still searching for their first points of the tournament and must now beat India in their final group game to have any chance of progressing.

The result was a strong response from Pakistan after their opening match ended in a narrow 3-2 defeat against India. In that game, Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored twice early on to give India control, before Pakistan fought back with a stoppage-time rally that fell just short.

The win keeps Pakistan's hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive, but qualification is no longer in their own hands. Pakistan now need India to beat Maldives in the final group match on 11 November to go through, as the Asian Football Confederation noted in confirming that the win had reignited their hopes of advancing.

The tournament is being staged in Bangladesh, with the group stage deciding which teams advance to the semi-finals.

Pakistan will now wait on that result before learning whether their campaign continues into the knockout stage of the tournament, which runs until 17 November in Bangladesh.