Category: Football

ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan came out all guns blazing in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers against Pakistan as they handed a 6-1 defeat to the hosts at the Jinnah Stadium here on Tuesday.

Tajikistan started the game on a high as they opened the scoring in the opening minutes when Amadoni Kamolov scored for the touring side. His strike took a minor deflection from Abdullah Iqbal and ran into the net.

The visitors doubled their lead five minutes later with another outside-the-box strike. Tajikistan striker Rustam Soirov fired a scintillating kick which beat Pakistan’s goalkeeper Yousuf Butt.

Pakistan fans at the Islamabad Stadium then finally found a moment to cherish when Rahis Nabi pulled one back for the home side in the 21st minute.

He nailed a long-range strike from his left foot, glimmering a ray of hope for Pakistan.

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Pakistan’s comeback, however, was shortlived as Tajikistan exploited their errors in the possession, especially in the midfield and restored their two-goal advantage in the 26th minute with yet another outside-the-box strike.

The visitors, with momentum in their favour, strengthened their command of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers by netting their fourth goal just before half-time.

There was no change of fortune for Pakistan in the second half as Tajikistan continued to dominate the hosts.

The visitors got another reward for their superior possession and pace in the 66th minute when Kamolov scored a screamer from outside the box.

Pakistan’s struggles did not end there as Tajikistan scored yet another goal in the 90th minute, courtesy of Shahrom Samiev.

In the first match of the second round of FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, Pakistan suffered a 4-0 thrashing from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

READ: ICC moves Under 19 World Cup 2024 from Sri Lanka to South Africa

WAZIRABAD: Peshawar Tigers came out victorious for the second time in the Muslim Hands Inter-Schools Football Championship 2023.

Muslim Hands organized the second annual National Inter-Schools Football Championship from November 16 at Muhammad Rasheed Football Ground, Wazirabad for the promotion of football in the country.

The tournament featured a total of 12 teams from Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalakot (Azad Kashmir), Kotli (Azad Kashmir), Bagh (Azad Kashmir), Gujar Khan, Wazirabad, and Sohdra.

Wazirabad Falcons faced the defending champions Peshawar Tigers in the first semi-final on the last day of the event, whereas, Sohdra Spartans squared off against Rawalakot Eagles in the second semi-final.

Peshawar Tigers and Sohdra Spartans won their respective games and made it to the final of the Muslim Hands Inter-Schools Football Championship, where the former came out victorious 1-0, winning the trophy for the second time.

Muslim Hands, a charity organisation, has been heavily active for years and has done a lot to promote football on the grassroots level.

They organise tournaments to attract school students towards football and provide them with high-quality training from qualified coaches.

In July 2023, they gathered and formed a team which competed in the Norway Cup in Oslo, Norway where Pakistan’s team participated with the name of “Muslim Hands FC”.

Notably, the Muslim Hands FC finished as the runners-up of the Norway Cup after falling to a 9-10 defeat on penalties against Sola FK in Oslo.

READ: ICC World Cup 2023: Six Indian players feature in ICC Team of the Tournament

Muslim Hands is organising the Schools Football Championship 2023 in Wazirabad with teams from all over Pakistan to promote the game as the fever of football continues to grow in the country.

Muslim Hands, a charity organisation, has been heavily active for years and has done a lot to promote football on the grassroots level and their latest step of holding a school championship is taking their efforts to the next level.

A total of 12 teams from all over Pakistan are competing in the championship at Mohammad Rasheed Football Ground.

The matches are being broadcast live on their Facebook page named “Maidaan” with great quality.

About five matches on a daily basis are being played in the four-day championship which is set to conclude on November 19 where two teams will go head-to-head to clinch the title.

It must be noted that Muslim Hands has been greatly contributing to promoting football in Pakistan.

In July 2023, they gathered and formed a team which competed in the Norway Cup in Oslo, Norway where Pakistan’s team participated with the name of “Muslim Hands FC”.

Notably, the Muslim Hands FC finished as the runners-up of the Norway Cup after falling to a 9-10 defeat on penalties against Sola FK in Oslo.

They remained unbeaten in seven games on their road to the final and scored the most goals by any team in the tournament.

They also recorded the largest victory in the tournament’s history when they blew Frigg Oslo FK 11-1.

For an exceptional tournament, Pakistan’s Asad Nasir was adjudged the player of the Norway Cup 2023.

It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan qualified for the finals of the Norway Cup for the second time, after ending up as runners-up in Norway Cup 2015.

READ: Wahab Riaz named chief selector of Pakistan men’s cricket team

AL AHSA: Pakistan football team’s head coach Stephen Constantine said that his team conceded goals at the wrong times, leading to them losing with a big margin of 4-0 against a dominant Saudi Arabia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

Pakistan football team were thrashed by Saudi Arabia 4-0 during the first match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, courtesy of Saleh Al-Shahri’s two goals in the early minutes of both halves.

“It was always going to be a difficult game for us. Considering where we were two months ago, we didn’t deserve to lose 4-0. We conceded at the start of both halves, which is probably the worst time to concede goals,” Constantine said during the post-match press conference.

“If you face a team as good as the Saudi team, you must always be focused. We have players whose primary sport is not football. Some of them do not remember the last time they played this game.

“Saudi Arabia is one of the best teams in Asia, so I asked the players to play without fear. Our chances are not easy, especially as we face strong teams, and we must prepare well for the Tajikistan match.”

This was the first time Pakistan played in the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers, after defeating Cambodia in the first round.

Pakistan last played against Saudi Arabia in 1978 at the latter’s home and suffered a 6-0 thrashing.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, placed in Group G, will face Jordan and Tajikistan. Each team will take on the rest of the teams twice on the basis of home and away leg.

The top two teams from the qualifying round will progress to the third round, in which 18 teams will be divided into three groups.

Whereas, the bottom two sides will advance into the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Pakistan’s next FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier is scheduled against Tajikistan in Islamabad on November 21.

READ: Saudi Arabia defeat Pakistan 4-0 in World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

AL AHSA: Pakistan football team were thrashed by a dominant Saudi Arabia team 4-0 during the first match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium.

Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Al-Shahri earned an early lead for the home team with a 6th-minute goal, however, the Pakistan team fought valiantly throughout the first half to not avoid further damage.

The home team dominated the second half from the start as Al-Shahri once again got his name on the scoresheet after converting a penalty in the 48th minute to extend the lead for his side.

Pakistan team showed a gutsy performance in the second half however Saudi Arabian team did not allow them to propel in the absence of the team’s defender and captain Eash Suliman.

Saudi Arabia scored two late goals to extend the margin of victory to 4-0 as Abdul Rahman Ghareeb netted in the 91st minute, followed by Abdullah Radif’s goal in the 96th minute.

It ends in defeat. #pakistanfootball #dilsayfootball #shaheens #weare26 pic.twitter.com/TzeyVd8djC

— Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) November 16, 2023

This was the first time Pakistan played in the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers, after defeating Cambodia in the first round.

Pakistan last played against Saudi Arabia in 1978 at the latter’s home and suffered a 6-0 thrashing.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, placed in Group G, will face Jordan and Tajikistan. Each team will take on the rest of the teams twice on the basis of home and away leg.

The top two teams from the qualifying round will progress to the third round, in which 18 teams will be divided into three groups.

Whereas, the bottom two sides will advance into the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Pakistan’s next FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier is scheduled against Tajikistan in Islamabad on November 21.

READ: Uruguay hand Argentina first loss since World Cup 2022 triumph

Uruguay ended the 14-match unbeaten streak of Argentina with a 2-0 victory over the world champions in World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.

Defender Ronald Araujo fired Uruguay ahead in 41 minutes before Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez made the game safe with an 87th-minute goal on the counterattack to settle a hard-fought clash at the Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires.

It was Lionel Messi and Argentina’s first defeat of the World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign, and their first loss since they were stunned 2-1 by Saudi Arabia at the World Cup 2022 in Qatar before becoming the eventual champions.

“We never felt comfortable,” Messi said after the defeat.

“They’re a physical team that works well and on the counterattack, they were very dangerous,” added Messi, praising the work of Uruguay’s revered Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa.

“You can see his hand in the team. In all the teams or clubs he’s been involved in, including Argentina, you can see his hand,” said Messi.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni meanwhile backed his team to recover from the loss against Uruguay before next week’s showdown with Brazil.

“There is a very difficult game coming up and we will try to do our best; I think this team has shown plenty of times that it can get out of difficult situations,” Scaloni said.

“We lose and win as a team, and there are times when you have to give credit to the opponent,” Scaloni added.

“We can’t think that because we’re world champions, we can’t lose. We are not unbeatable — I’ve said it before and will continue to say it.”

Argentina, who had won all four of their opening qualifiers, remain on top of the standings with 12 points from five matches. Uruguay’s win leaves them in second place on 10 points.

READ: Asian heavyweights win big to launch World Cup qualifying in style

Asia’s footballing heavyweights made fast starts to the FIFA World Cup Qualifier on Thursday with Australia, Japan and South Korea plundering 17 goals between them in big wins on home soil.

The long road to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico began in earnest in Asia with 36 teams in action Thursday.

Australia, who reached the last 16 at the Qatar 2022 World Cup before bowing out 2-1 to Lionel Messi and eventual champions Argentina, hammered Bangladesh 7-0 in Melbourne.

It was Australia’s biggest victory since 2019 and the perfect present for Graham Arnold, who took charge for the 59th time, a record for a Socceroos coach.

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Substitute Jamie Maclaren hit a second-half hat-trick in front of nearly 21,000 and it could have been even worse for Bangladesh but Massimo Luongo missed a late penalty.

“Seven goals, but it could have been more, for me too, but three points and we move on,” said Melbourne City striker Maclaren.

“I’m not even sure (goalkeeper) Maty (Ryan) had a save to make so proud of the team, but we obviously know the next games are going to be harder.”

Australia are in Group I alongside Palestine and Lebanon, who meet in Sharjah.

In Group B, Ayase Ueda also scored a hat-trick as Japan got their bid to reach an eighth straight World Cup off to an emphatic start with a 5-0 win over Myanmar.

The hosts were missing injured Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma but Feyenoord striker Ueda picked up the slack with a ruthless display of finishing in Osaka.

Daichi Kamada and Ritsu Doan also got on the scoresheet as Japan took early control of a qualifying group that also includes North Korea and Syria.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu demanded even more from his side despite their handsome victory in the World Cup qualifier.

“We had chances to score more goals,” said Moriyasu, who took Japan to the last 16 at the Qatar World Cup following stunning wins over Germany and Spain.

Not to be outdone, Jurgen Klinsmann went a little way towards silencing the doubters in South Korea as his side strolled to a 5-0 thumping of Singapore in Seoul.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min was among the goal-scorers, and it was a cracker, bending the ball left-footed into the top corner from outside the box.

Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier headed home for his second goal in as many matches for his country.

“A huge compliment to the team, a very professional performance,” German legend and South Korea coach Klinsmann said.

“Five-nil is a nice scoreline to read but it doesn’t really show you the energy and effort you have to invest in order to get to that scoreline,” he added.

Also in Group C, Wang Shangyuan scored 16 minutes from time to give China a 2-1 win in Thailand and join South Korea at the top of the early standings.

China host South Korea on Tuesday.

In Group F, Vietnam beat the Philippines 2-0 away.

A record eight direct spots and one intercontinental playoff berth are at stake for 2026 for Asian Football Confederation sides, from nine groups of four.

The top two from each group go through to the final qualifying round in Asia.

Among World Cup qualifier games later Thursday, Saudi Arabia host Pakistan, Iran take on Hong Kong and Qatar play Afghanistan.

READ: Pakistan’s lineup for FIFA WC 2026 Qualifiers against Saudi Arabia

AL AHSA: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) unveiled Pakistan’s lineup for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Pakistan, who will feature in the second round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifier, will be lead by Otis Khan while their hero of the first-round victory over Cambodia, Harun Hamid, has been benched.

Yousuf Butt will serve as the goalkeeper and will be supported by four defenders Umar Hayat, Mamoon Moosa, Abdullah Iqbal and Junaid Shah.

Pakistan’s lineup features two midfielders Alamgir Ghazi and Rahis Nabi while the skipper will lead the four-man attack, comprising Shayek Dost, Abdul Samad and Fareed Ullah.

This is how the Shaheens line up against 🇸🇦#pakistanfootball #dilsayfootball #shaheens #weare26 pic.twitter.com/mvJ801NI7V

— Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) November 16, 2023

For the unversed, their highly-anticipated clash against Saudi Arabia will mark their first appearance in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers.

On the contrary, Saudi Arabia is one of the most dominant side of the continent, having played six FIFA World Cups.

The West-Asian side also upset Lionel Messi’s Argentina in last year’s World Cup.

The second-round fixture between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be played here at the Al-Fateh Stadium. The match starts at 7:30 pm local time or 9:30 pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST).

Pakistan last played against Saudi Arabia in 1978 at the latter’s home and suffered a 6-0 thrashing.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, placed in Group G, will face Jordan and Tajikistan. Each team will take on the rest of the teams twice on the basis of home and away leg.

The top two sides will then proceed to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers.

Whereas, the bottom two sides will advance into the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Pakistan head coach Stephen Constantine earlier this week acknowledged Saudi Arabia as a tough opponent but expressed his hope of doing well against them.

“There is no doubt that Saudi Arabia are a tough side and we will try to make our best effort against them,” stated Constantine.

“We had a few good days here and a week at Islamabad and hopefully we will put in our best,” he added.

READ: Miller’s ton rescues South Africa to 212 in semi-final against Australia

Jude Bellingham has been ruled out of England’s final Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, the Football Association announced on Tuesday.

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill has also been withdrawn from Gareth Southgate’s squad, meaning five players are missing from the initial group announced for the match at Wembley on November 17 and the away fixture three days later.

Midfielder Bellingham, 20, who has scored 13 goals so far in a stunning debut season for Real Madrid, and Colwill both have shoulder issues.

“Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill will play no part in England’s forthcoming UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia,” the FA said in a statement.

“The pair arrived at St George’s Park for assessments on Monday but will now return to their clubs to continue their rehabilitation.”

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips will join the squad later this week “owing to personal matters”, the FA said.

On Monday, Cole Palmer, Ezri Konsa and Rico Lewis replaced the injured James Maddison, Callum Wilson and Lewis Dunk.

England have already qualified for the Euro 2024 finals in Germany but one more point will guarantee the top spot in Group C.

READ: Kane Williamson confident ahead of semi-final against India at Wankhede

Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) won 3-0 away at high-flying Reims on Saturday to move to the top of the Ligue 1 table, although coach Luis Enrique was still not satisfied with the France captain’s performance.

Mbappe opened the scoring in the third minute in Champagne country and then netted twice more in the second half to give PSG a win which moved the reigning champions to the summit a point above Nice, who drew at Montpellier on Friday.

PSG were also grateful to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma who denied Reims a route back into the game with a string of superb saves, as Luis Enrique’s team recovered from their midweek Champions League loss away to AC Milan.

Mbappe is Ligue 1’s leading scorer with 13 goals in 11 appearances this season, with the France captain also having netted twice in European competition.

Yet his coach was not entirely delighted with his superstar’s display.

“We know Kylian Mbappe’s worth, but he can do better. I want even more from him,” the Spaniard said.

“He is one of the world’s best players, but he still has a lot of room to get better. I don’t want him to rest on his laurels.”

Mbappe had earlier indicated that he was not completely pleased with his own game as he spoke to broadcaster Amazon Prime.

“In all modesty I don’t need to be playing well to score goals, but I want to do both, score goals and play well. That is my objective, to always help the team as well as I can,” Mbappe said.

Asked about bouncing back from the setback in Milan, Mbappe added: “It is a different competition and all we wanted to do was win. Nice drew and we wanted to take top spot. It’s job done and we are happy with that.

“We will have time to think about the Champions League but Ligue 1 is a different competition and that means a different mindset and a different way of playing.”

That 2-1 defeat in Milan on Tuesday left PSG’s hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout phase in the balance with two group games still to go, but they do finally appear to have found their rhythm domestically after a stuttering start to the campaign.

Luis Enrique’s team were targeting a fifth straight victory in Ligue 1 and they went ahead almost from the off as Mbappe met Ousmane Dembele’s cross from the right with a superb side-foot volley low across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner of the net.

Reims were denied an equaliser as a fine goal by Japanese international Junya Ito was disallowed for offside, and the same player was later denied by Donnarumma who also produced a superb reaction save from Amir Richardson before the interval.

A PSG side missing the suspended Achraf Hakimi and Randal Kolo Muani were again grateful to Donnarumma when the Italian repelled a Marshall Munetsi header on 56 minutes, and three minutes later they went 2-0 up.

Mbappe evaded his marker with a brilliant darting run to the back post where he converted a perfect assist rolled across the face of goal by Carlos Soler.

Donnarumma was at it again as he once more denied Zimbabwe midfielder Munetsi, before Mbappe finished off a cutback from substitute Bradley Barcola to make it 3-0 with eight minutes left.

Nice are still unbeaten this season after their stalemate on Friday in Montpellier, and they have still not been behind in a single game this season.

Reims remain in fourth place, while third-placed Monaco missed the chance to leapfrog Nice in the table as they drew 0-0 away to Le Havre in Saturday’s late match.

Monaco were fortunate to escape with a point, however, as Le Havre’s Samuel Grandsir had a penalty saved in the 10th minute of added time at the end of the game.

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