Sri Lanka delivered a stunning performance to defeat Chinese Taipei 3-1 on Matchday 2 of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifying Round 3 (Group D), at the Colombo Racecourse on Tuesday.

After a goalless first half, the hosts came alive with a 10-minute blitz in the second half. Adhavan Rajamohan opened the scoring, followed by quick goals from Dillion De Silva and Ahmed Waseem Razeek, giving Sri Lanka a commanding 3-0 lead. Chinese Taipei pulled one back through Huang Wei-chieh in the 70th minute, but it proved only a consolation as Sri Lanka held on for a memorable win.

The result marks Sri Lanka’s first victory in Group D and hands them three crucial points, leapfrogging Chinese Taipei who are yet to open their account. The win is particularly significant given Chinese Taipei’s higher FIFA ranking.

Both sides came into the clash after suffering opening-day defeats. Sri Lanka narrowly lost 0-1 to Thailand in Bangkok, with Gustavsson’s early goal settling the tie. Chinese Taipei, meanwhile, fell 1-2 at home to Turkmenistan, despite equalizing through Kouame before conceding a late goal by Gurbanow.

Group D remains wide open with Thailand and Turkmenistan also in the mix. Only the group winners will advance to the AFC Asian Cup 2027, as the third round of qualifying features 24 teams battling across six groups in a home-and-away double round-robin format.

Sri Lanka will look to build on this momentum as they aim for a historic qualification.