Republic of Korea, 2002 World Cup semi-finalists who stand 120 places above the Indian Ocean islanders on FIFA's latest world rankings, were held to a 0-0 draw in Male in Group 7.

The Ilgan Sports newspaper said: "This is an unforgettable humiliation for South Korea."

The lackluster result heaped more pressure on Portuguese coach Humberto Coelho, who has already faces calls to quit following defeats to Oman and Vietnam in Asian Cup qualifiers last year.

"This is another nightmare for Coelho," Sports Seoul said in a banner headline.

It said South Korea, while looking down on their opponents, lost their concentration in the sultry weather of Male and wasted scoring chances in front of the goal.

"Coelho has run his course. He failed as a commander-in-chief," a fan wrote in an Internet football website.

"It's a shame on South Korea. It is all the more embarassing as South Korea were World Cup semi-finalists," another fan said.

South Korean players complained of what they believed were a biased referee and judges throughout the match.

"To stop attackers is defenders' job but at this game, the referee and judges played the roles of defense for the Maldives," said Seol Ki-Hyun, a South Korean striker.

Another striker, Lee Young-Pyo, said he had never played with such a biased referee and judges.

"When we had a good chance after driving the ball down the side, there was a referee's whistle for an off-side offense. When I thought we should be given a penalty kick, there was no whisle," he said.