Maldives captain and prolific forward Ali Ashfaq broke the South Asian Football Federation Championship all-time scoring record, previously held by former India striker IM Vijayan, with a double-hattrick against Sri Lanka on Monday.
Ashfaq’s six in Maldives’ 10-0 victory at the Dasharath Rangashala Stadium moved him to the top of the list with 14 goals, two more than Vijayan’s tally of 12.
The 27-year old skipper also moved past another former Indian forward, Baichung Bhutia, who had 11 goals in SAFF Championships.
Ashfaq, who has 32 international goals to his name, is mostly known for his dribbling ability, agility, speed, shot accuracy and power. He was the youngest player to ever score for the Maldives national team when he put four goals past Mongolia as an 18-year-old in 2003.
Often referred to as ‘Iron Man’ by fans back home, Ashfaq rose to prominence after scoring three goals at his first SAFF Championship, with a brace against Afghanistan and one against Sri Lanka in 2005.
Although he failed to score at the 2008 SAFF Championship at home, Ashfaq picked up the most valuable player award after recording six assists to inspire his side to Maldives’ only SAFF title to date.
He scored three goals in the tournament four years ago, again with two coming against Afghanistan and the other against Sri Lanka.
In the last edition, held in Delhi two years ago, Ashfaq scored two goals against Nepal and Bangladesh.
Ashfaq, who was chosen as Maldives’ best domestic player in 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2011, has already scored an incredible 48 goals in the top flight this season.
He is clearly on track to become the first Maldivian footballer to score a half-century of goals in a single season.
‘I have a record of scoring a dozen goals in the domestic league in the past,’ said Ashfaq, who received $100,000 this season from Maldivian league side Radiant FC.
‘I thought before the match that we would win by a margin of five or six goals, but after starting the match, it became easier,’ he added, before saying that he wished to continue playing for two or three more years before hanging up his boots.
Maldives coach Istavan Urbanyi expressed his enthusiasm after the record win over Sri Lanka.
‘I feel happy about the result. I was excited that lots of goals were scored,’ the coach said on Tuesday before going on to praise six-goal hero Ashfaq.
‘This is an extra-ordinary performance from [Ashfaq], it must be appreciated.’
-With New Age input
