Sri Lanka will solely focus on their successful attacking style and objectives when they take on Turkmenistan in the return game of the AFC Asian Games Qualifiers on Tuesday, October 14, in Ashgabat, as the home team seeks revenge after Thursday's outcome at the Racecourse in Colombo. Having played seven international games so far in 2025, Sri Lanka rose from their previous position of 204 in the FIFA Men's Rankings to reach 196, but a shocking 0-3 defeat against the Maldives, followed by a 1-all draw, pushed them back a place to 197.
Following Thursday's epic 1-0 win against Group 'D' table-toppers Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka will hope to continue their rise in international football. Sri Lanka displayed remarkable growth from their previous two outings and possessed true professionalism. The Islanders now have the potential of advancing further in world rankings. But Sri Lanka Head Coach Abdullah Al Mutairi, a firm believer in hard work and positive outcomes, is least bothered about where the country is positioned in rankings.
"During the last 10 years Sri Lanka has won only four games, but under me since 2024 we have won five games in 11 matches, with two draws and four losses. This year alone, we have won four games in seven outings. I will share my dream, just imagine if we qualify for the Asia Cup. All will be happy, and I will be happier," said an overly joyful Al Mutairi. The win against Turkmenistan, currently ranked 138 in the world, was Sri Lanka's fourth win in 2025 out of seven appearances. Sri Lanka recorded their first win of the year on March 20 against Laos by 2-1 in a friendly international, ahead of their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier game against Thailand, which they lost 0-1 on March 25. Sri Lanka faced Brunei to record a 1-0 win on June 5 in a friendly international, five days prior to their second AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier game against Chinese Taipei. Sri Lanka recorded a commanding 3-1 win and were sitting on an open window of four months before their next international assignment against Turkmenistan on October 9.
"The South Asian Super Cup, which we played against the Maldives, was introduced as a brand of our own and as a solution to fill in long windows, so that our national team will be occupied with international games. Our prime objective now is to reach the final stage of the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The inspiring win against Turkmenistan will be a booster to the rest of the three remaining qualifier games," noted Jaswar Umar, the President of Football Sri Lanka.
The South Asian Super Cup, hosted by Football Sri Lanka, featured two games against the Maldives on September 6 and 9 at the Racecourse ground in Colombo, the very same venue where Head Coach Al Mutairi would unleash his joy after midfielder Leon Perera struck the winning and solitary goal in the 67th minute against Turkmenistan a month later.
Against the Maldives, Sri Lanka went down 0-3 on September 6, following an experimental process where freshers were given the starting line-up opportunity. Three days later, on September 9, the Maldives came out as favourites with the objective of recording a clean sweep, only to be stalled by Sri Lanka for a 1-all draw. This came as an alarming sign to Al Mutairi and his men, who are seeking their first entry to the final stage of the AFC Asian Cup.
"The loss against the Maldives was good I guess, it was a big lesson for everyone. What we saw on Thursday was a totally fired-up Sri Lankan team that kept the hopes of reaching the Asian Cup. Even after the draw against the Maldives no one would believe that we would be able to keep any hope, but now I can say that the game is on," stated player of the match, centre-back Jason Thayaparan, who made two stunning goal-line clearances, thwarting two possible Turkmenistan goals.
Sri Lanka has two games remaining for this year, and one more on March 31, 2026, to complete their AFC Asian Cup Qualifier campaign. The most important of them will be the return game against Turkmenistan this Tuesday, October 14, at Ashgabat, which will be crucial in determining the leader of Group 'D'. Their next game, the final for this year, is against Thailand on November 18 in Colombo, and Sri Lanka's AFC Asian Cup Qualifier run will come to an end with the final group game against Chinese Taipei on March 31, 2026, at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
After Thursday, when Sri Lanka beat Turkmenistan 1-0 and Thailand defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0, Group 'D' has opened up with six more group games remaining. Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand have racked up six points each after three games, whereas Chinese Taipei lie at the bottom of the table after losing all three games. Turkmenistan still lead the table with a tally of five goals against two and a goal difference of +2. Sri Lanka too has the same statistics, only with a slight disadvantage of scoring four goals and conceding two, while Thailand has a goal difference of +1 after scoring four goals and conceding three.