Soccer South Asian Cup 2008
|
South Asian Football Federation Championship 2008 2008 South Asian Football Federation Cup ™ |
|
| Number of nations | 8th |
| South Asian Champion |
 Maldives
|
| venue | Malé and Colombo |
| opening | June 3, 2008 |
| Endgame | June 14, 2008 |
| Gates | 43 |
| Top scorer (s) | Harez Habib (4) |
The seventh South Asian Football Federation Championship , officially South Asian Football Federation Cup 2008 , held from 3 to 14. June 2008 to the Maldives and Sri Lanka instead. Eight teams from the South Asian region played here for the title of South Asian champion.
It was the first time that the Maldives hosted the tournament hosted by the South Asian Football Federation , while Sri Lanka hosted the tournament for the second time. The island nation had already hosted the second edition in 1995, when the host's national team won the title after beating India 1-0. Originally this championship was supposed to take place in December 2007, but in October 2007 the decision was made to postpone the tournament, as the Indian Football Association was unable to send a team due to the simultaneous start of the new Indian football league .
The Maldives won the tournament after a 1-0 victory over the defending champions from India . Mukthar Naseer scored the winning goal in the 87th minute and secured the Maldives their first victory in an international football competition. The top scorer was Harez Habib , who scored four goals in the final round. Ali Ashfaq from the Maldives was named best player.
The Maldives received US $ 50,000 as a prize , the second-placed Indians $ 25,000, while the two semi-finalists Sri Lanka and Bhutan each received 10,000.
groups
The eight participating teams were divided into two groups of four teams each. In the group stage, the teams played against each other once in the league system . The group winner and the runner-up reached the semi-finals, the winners of the semi-finals played the final. A game for third place did not take place.
The group draw took place on February 28, 2008 at the Paradise Island Resort in the Maldivian capital, Male. The following groups emerged:
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
|
Maldives
|
 Sri Lanka
|
 India
|
 Bangladesh
|
 Pakistan
|
.svg){kind=small} Afghanistan
|
 Nepal
|
 Bhutan
|
Venues
The games will be played in the respective capitals, i.e. in Malé and Colombo. The opening ceremony will take place in the Maldivian capital, while the finals will be held in Sri Lanka.
- Malé : In the capital of the Maldives, group A matches and a semi-finals will be played at the Rasmee Dhandu Stadium . This venue has a capacity of 11,850 seats.
- Colombo : The group B preliminary round matches, as well as a semi-finals and the final, will be played in the Sugathadasa Stadium . The national stadium of Sri Lanka can accommodate up to 25,000 people.
The semi-final venues have been set so that the Maldives and Sri Lanka will each have a home game if they become group winners.
Games and results
Group A
| Pl. | country | Sp. | S. | U | N | Gates | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
India
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7: 1 | +6 | 9 |
| 2. |
Maldives
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7: 2 | +5 | 6th |
| 3. |
Nepal
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5: 9 | −4 | 3 |
| 4th |
Pakistan
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2: 9 | −7 | 0 |
| Status: Final result (June 7, 2008) | ||||||||
| June 3, 2008 | |||
| India | - | Nepal | 4: 0 (2: 0) |
| Maldives | - | Pakistan | 3: 0 (1: 0) |
| June 5, 2008 | |||
| Pakistan | - | India | 1: 2 (0: 2) |
| Nepal | - | Maldives | 1: 4 (1: 1) |
| June 7, 2008 | |||
| Maldives | - | India | 0: 1 (0: 1) |
| Pakistan | - | Nepal | 1: 4 (0: 2) |
Group B
| Pl. | country | Sp. | S. | U | N | Gates | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
Sri Lanka
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5: 2 | +3 | 7th |
| 2. |
Bhutan
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4: 4 | ± 0 | 4th |
| 3. |
Bangladesh
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3: 4 | −1 | 2 |
| 4th |
Afghanistan
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5: 7 | −2 | 2 |
| Status: final status (June 8, 2008) | ||||||||
| June 4, 2008 | |||
| Bangladesh | - | Bhutan | 1: 1 (1: 0) |
| Sri Lanka | - | Afghanistan | 2: 2 (1: 1) |
| June 6, 2008 | |||
| Afghanistan | - | Bangladesh | 2: 2 (2: 0) |
| Bhutan | - | Sri Lanka | 0: 2 (0: 2) |
| June 8, 2008 | |||
| Sri Lanka | - | Bangladesh | 1: 0 (0: 0) |
| Afghanistan | - | Bhutan | 1: 3 (0: 1) |
Semifinals
| date | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| June 11, 2008 |
India
|
2: 1 n.V. (1: 1, 1: 1) |
Bhutan
|
| June 11, 2008 |
Sri Lanka
|
0: 1 |
Maldives
|
final
| India | Maldives | ||||
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|
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 0: 1 Mukhthar Naseer (87th)
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