COLOMBO: Pakistan notched their second consecutive victory at the SAFF U-17 Championship on Friday, defeating Maldives 5-2 in their group-stage clash at the Racecourse Ground. Mansoor Ahmad was the star performer, completing a brilliant first-half hat trick to put Pakistan in control. He opened the scoring in the 12th minute, doubled the lead in the 32nd, and converted a penalty in the 45th to seal his treble.

Maldives briefly threatened a comeback when Ali Ilaan scored in the 42nd minute, but Muhammad Abdullah restored Pakistan’s cushion with two goals — first from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time and again in the 61st minute after a fine team move. Maldives’ Mohamed Shayan Shifau pulled one back in the 71st minute, but Pakistan comfortably saw out the game.

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The 5-2 result follows Pakistan’s opening win against Bhutan, strengthening their chances of reaching the SAFF U-17 semifinals. With six points from two games, Pakistan now sit in a commanding position in their group and will face archrivals India in their final group match on Monday.