June 06, 2024
Pakistan suffered a crushing defeat 3-0 at the hands of Saudi Arabia in FIFA World Cup’s Asian qualifiers at Islamabad’s Jinnah Stadium on Thursday.
Feras Albrikan of Saudi Arabia struck twice in the first half, while Musab Al-Juwayr went on the offensive to net the third one shortly after the half time.
Pakistan are at the bottom of Group G as they have lost all five matches they have played so far. Pakistan began their journey with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in Al-Ahsa in November followed by a 6-1 loss at the hands of Tajikistan at Islamabad in the same month.
In the post-match talk, Abdullah Iqbal said they conceded goals due to their own mistakes.
“We played really well. The goals we conceded were from our mistakes and, if that hadn’t happened, the game could have been slightly different. Thank you to the fans for their support,” Iqbal said.
Jordan then defeated Pakistan 3-0 in Islamabad in a game held in Ramadan with the Shaheens also losing the reverse fixture 7-0 at the Amman International Stadium.
After the match against Saudi Arabia, Pakistan will lock horns with Tajikistan in their final group match in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.
Goalkeepers: Yousuf Butt (D), Saqib Hanif and Hassan Ali
Defenders: Abdullah Iqbal (D), Mohammad Fazal (D), Haseeb Khan, Rao Omer Hayat, Mamoon Moosa, Mohammad Saddam, Waqar Ihtisham, Moin Ahmed and Abdul Rehman
Midfielders: Rahis Nabi (D), Otis Khan (D), Ali Uzair, Umair Ali, Toqeer ul Hassan, Alamgir Ghazi and Ali Zafar
Forwards: Imran Kayani (D), McKeal Abdulah, Fareedulah, Adeel Younas and Shayak Dos.
