UAE defeats Maldives 5-0 in Asian Cup qualifying

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) national women’s football team defeated the Maldives 5-0 in the final match of Group E in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifying.

The match, held at Viet Tri Stadium in Vietnam, saw UAE dominate from the start. They opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a free kick from near the halfway line. Salha Al Zabi doubled the lead in first-half injury time with a header from a corner and completed her hat-trick shortly after halftime with another goal from a set piece.

Fatima Al Hosani scored UAE’s fourth with about 20 minutes remaining, and Maitha Al Hazmi sealed the result with a fifth goal in stoppage time.

Despite the loss, the Maldives had their moments. In the first half, Mariyam Noora had a clear chance in the penalty area but couldn’t convert. In the final minutes, 19-year-old forward Raniya Ibrahim, brought on by coach Ahmed Athif (Aathy), beat a defender and got into the area, but her effort went across the face of goal.

This marks the UAE’s biggest win over the Maldives in their nine-match history. Their previous highest margin was a 5-1 victory in 2021, where Raniya scored the Maldives’ only goal, her debut at age 16, playing the full match.

Of the nine encounters both teams had, UAE has now won six. The Maldives have one win and two draws, with previous UAE victories never exceeding a two-goal margin until now.

Both teams were already out of contention for qualification before the match. The Maldives lost all three of their group matches, while UAE drew their opener against Guam and finished with four points.

Vietnam topped the group with three wins, including a 3-0 victory over Guam in the final group fixture, earning qualification to next year’s Asian Cup in Australia.