Bahrain defeated Maldives 3-0 in Group C of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers tonight.
The victory means Bahrain's meeting with Iraq on Sunday will determine the group winners, who will advance automatically to the Uzbekistan 2022 Finals.
Playing their opening match of the Qualifiers, Bahrain took a firm grip on proceedings at the Sheikh Ali Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium.
Maldives, needing a win to keep their hopes alive after having fallen 4-0 to Iraq in their opener, were pegged back as the West Asian side surged forward in search of goals.
Bahrain's early aggression paid off as they took the lead in the 16th minute through Adnan Fawaz Alshirah.
They continued to dictate the tempo but had to wait till the 55th minute for their second goal, with Mohammed A. Qayoom finding the back of the net.
The points were sealed in the 69th minute through midfielder Abbas Fadhel Alasfoor, who scored from the penalty spot.
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