Pakistan, Nov. 9 -- Pakistan produced a commanding performance to register a 3-0 victory over Maldives, moving closer to securing a place in the semi-finals.

McKeal Abdullah opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Najeebullah Bettani struck twice to give Pakistan a comfortable three-goal advantage. All three goals came in the first half as Pakistan took firm control of the contest, said a press release.

Najeebullah doubled Pakistan's lead with a well-timed finish after Junaid Shah delivered a peach of a cross from the left. Najeebullah made a perfectly timed run into the box to get ahead of his marker and poke the ball home.

The forward then completed his brace with a superb individual effort. With Pakistan defending deep in th...