By Susil Premalal

Sri Lanka registered a thrilling 4-2 victory on penalties over Cambodia in the second leg of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qualifiers playoffs encounter played under lights at the Phnom Penh Olympics Stadium in Cambodia yesterday.

The game began evenly poised with both the teams looking a bit rusty. As half time approached, the visitors broke the deadlock with a brilliant strike from Oliver Kelaart, who found the back of the net in the 37th minute giving Sri Lanka the lead heading into the break.

The home team, having made a couple of changes, came out strong in the second half and immediately took control.

Their dominant display paid off when Cambodian winger Sosidan Nhean showcasing individual brilliance equalised in the 50th minute.

The game went into extra time and in the eighth minute Cambodia capitalised on a corner kick taking advantage of some sloppy defending by the Sri Lankan backline to find the net.

Sri Lanka, desperately searching for a response, waited until the final moments of extra time when Claudio Mathias scored one of the most important goals, sending the game to a penalty shootout. Sri Lanka goal-keeper showcased heroics, saving Cambodia’s first two penalty attempts and putting Sri Lanka firmly in the driver’s seat.
Jack Hingert, Oliver Kelaart, Sam Durrant, and Leon Perera all converted their penalties, securing a memorable victory for Sri Lanka.

With this victory, Sri Lanka secured a place in the 2025 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, where they will compete in six home and away fixtures.

The first leg encounter between the two teams ended in a scoreless draw at the Racecourse Grounds in Colombo.