Sri Lanka fresh from their landmark 1-0 win over Turkmenistan in the first-leg of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers 3rd-round match in Colombo on 9 October, will be full of with confidence heading into the crunch second-leg fixture against the same adversaries at Ashgabat today (14).
The Lankans headed by veteran goalkeeper Sujan Perera produced one of their finest performances in recent seasons, to rise like a phoenix from the ashes, to post a remarkable win which was their first in seven clashes beside Turkmenistan dating back to 2003.
The display last week was grounded on an attacking mind set instilled on the team by head coach Abdullah Almutairi from Kuwait, coupled with a tremendous defensive effort with skipper Perera and Jason Thayaparan standing out in a terrific team effort.
Sri Lanka on the back of their giant-killing hard work in Colombo five days ago, will go into today’s crucial encounter against their hosts as favourites, but they will need to ensure that complacency does not set in, during a match which is again likely to go down to the wire.
In addition, prevalent cold and snowy conditions in Turkmenistan will test the Lankans, but with most of their players having been well exposed to overseas leagues in similar conditions, they would take such challenges in their stride.
The famous victory at the Racecourse Grounds allowed Sri Lanka to achieve their highest FIFA World Ranking of 191st after precisely a decade of trying, and their resurgence in the international football arena since June 2023 has been scintillating to say the least.
From plumbing the depths of world football being placed at 207 out of 210 nations, they have rediscovered their footballing mojo in no uncertain terms, to emerge as one of the top 20 movers in FIFA World Rankings.
They will now essential to prove that their hard-earned win over the Central Asian side 120 hours ago was not a flash in the pan, as the stage is set for another high-octane encounter in the Turkmenistan capital.
According to Sri Lanka team sources, the tourists are likely to start the game with an unchanged line up following their fabulous showing on home soil.
It is knowledgeable that the management is determined to keep the winning momentum going at the same time to reward the players who performed out of their skins at home with an extended run, allowing the Lankans to maintain their stranglehold on their rivals.
Football analysts add up that if Sri Lanka could finish off most of their threatening forays into the opposition half, they should stand a chance of recording successive wins over the home team for the first time ever.
But, they should at the same time support themselves for a backlash from their hosts who will be out for revenge in another high stakes match for football fans in the region.
The much-higher ranked Turkmenistan for their part will not want to be rolled over in their own backyard, and they will come out with all guns blazing to get the better of the visitors, while making compensation for their shock reverse in the island-nation in the previous week.
After the game beside Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka will head home to get ready for the visit of the world’s 101st ranked Thailand at the Racecourse Grounds, Colombo on 18 November.
The men in white will then take on 173rd ranked Chinese Taipei in Taipei on 31 March 2026 in their remaining Group D clashes of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers third-round.
Teams
Turkmenistan
Guychmyrat Annagulyyev, Yhlas Toyjanov, Bashimov Abdy (captain), Yazgylych Gurbanov, Mammewdov Ybrayym, Mihail Titov, Shamammet Hydyrow, Mirza Berknazarov, Sapargulyyev Arzuvguly, Teymur Charyyev, Charyyev Rasul
Sri Lanka
Sujan Perera (captain), Anujan Rajendram, Zahi Addis, Geremi Devin, Garrett Kelly, Wade Dekker, Leon Perera, Waseem Razeek, Claudio Matthias, Adhavan Rajmohan and Jason Thayaparan
English 
Sinhala