Sri Lanka causes surprise, Laos fails before confronting Vietnam

In a surprise match at FIFA Days on March 20, Sri Lanka won 2-1 against hosts Laos in an exciting friendly.

Laos team (red shirt) unexpectedly lost to Sri Lanka.

This was an impressive victory for Sri Lanka, as they overcame a stronger opponent and were ranked 186th in the FIFA rankings.

The match at the Laos National Stadium saw Sri Lanka dominate from the very first minutes. The visitors controlled the game and had sharp attacks, causing many difficulties for the home team.

Sri Lanka not only defended solidly but also took the initiative to attack, and the results came after nearly an hour of play, when they led Laos 2-0 thanks to goals from Wade Dekker and Adhavan Rajamohan.

Meanwhile, the home team Laos only really woke up after the half-time break. With the enthusiastic cheers of the home crowd, Laos began to control the ball more and continuously searched for space on the pitch. However, despite the increased pressure, they had difficulty launching direct attacks, as Sri Lanka's defense played very solidly.

The match became dramatic when Laos scored a goal in the 88th minute thanks to Kydavone Souvanny, bringing the score down to 1-2. However, in the remaining few minutes, despite pushing up the squad, the home team still could not find an equalizer, and had to accept defeat in this match.

This defeat extended Laos' winless streak to 10 matches, an undesirable achievement for the country of a million elephants. The last time they won was on March 25, 2023, when they beat Bhutan 2-1 in a friendly match.

However, this defeat will not last long for Laos, as they will have to prepare for a bigger challenge on March 25, when they visit Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. A promising and tense match awaits the Laos team.