AFC Asian Cup Qualifier Archives

Syria thump Pakistan 5-0 in AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier

ISLAMABAD: Syria football team reinforced their dominance over Pakistan with a comprehensive 5-0 victory in their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifying clash at Jinnah Stadium on Tuesday.

Mohammad Al-Hallaq opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, capitalising on an assist from Zakaria Hannan, putting Syria ahead early in a game that had no bearing on the Group E standings.

The visitors, having already secured qualification to the next round with four straight wins, rotated their squad to give new players valuable international experience.

The second half saw Syria take complete control. Al-Hallaq doubled the lead in the 48th minute, followed by Yassin Samiah’s strike in the 79th minute, assisted by Mahmoud Al Mawas.

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In injury time, Alaa Al Dali and Samiah added two more goals, with assists from Hasan Dahan and Anas Dahhan respectively, sealing a crushing 5-0 win.

Syria had previously defeated Pakistan 2-0 in the first leg back in March, maintaining their upper hand over the South Asian side.

For Pakistan, the loss highlighted ongoing challenges in Group E, where they sit at the bottom behind Myanmar and Afghanistan.

The 2027 AFC Asian Cup, Asia’s 19th edition of its premier men’s football tournament, will be held in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, featuring 24 national teams after the 2019 expansion.

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Asian Cup Qualifier: Pakistan-Afghanistan clash ends in 1-1 draw

ARDIYA: The AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan ended in a 1-1 draw here at the Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium on Tuesday.

Afghanistan, hosting the match, started in style with Mahboob Hanifi netting the goal in the fifth minute of the game. However, Pakistan fought back in the 29th courtesy of Etzaz Hussain’s equalizer.

Despite the earlier goals, both teams tried hard but eventually could not score a goal, ending the match in a draw.

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Both teams are winless, with Syria already going through from Group E. Afghanistan and Pakistan’s previous clash, held on October 9 at Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad, also ended in a goalless draw.

Pakistan had ample chances to pierce the net against the visitors; however, during the 65th minute of the game, Otis Khan missed a vital chance by sending his penalty kick soaring over the bar, midway through the second half, in front of more than 7000 people.

Pakistan has already suffered defeats at the hands of Mayanmar 1-0 in June and 2-0 against Syria in March.

The 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier will be played in Saudi Arabia.

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Pakistan football team gears up for AFC women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan women’s football team has begun preparing for the highly anticipated AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, scheduled to take place in Jakarta from June 29.

The national women’s football team training camp is in progress here ahead of the qualifiers here at the Jinnah Stadium.

The camp, being held under the supervision of head coach Adeel Rizki, will continue for a few more days.

The national team is scheduled to leave for Indonesia on June 26. The Pakistan team will travel via a private airline, taking the route from Karachi to Bangkok and arriving in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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Pakistan is placed in Group E alongside Chinese Taipei, hosts Indonesia, and Kyrgyzstan.

The team will play its opening match on June 29 against Chinese Taipei. The second match will be played on July 2 against the host nation, Indonesia, while the final group game will be held on July 5 against Kyrgyzstan.

All the matches will be played at the Sport Center Kelapa Dua Tangerang.

Pakistan Football Team Squad For Asian Cup Qualifiers

Jennah Farooki, Nisha Ashraf, Zeeyana Jivraj; Defenders: Aliya Sadiq, Layla Banaras, Maria Khan (captain), Nizalia Siddiqui, Sophia Qureshi, Amina Hanif, Azwa Chaudhry, Marsha Malik, Rameen Fareed, Sanah Mehdi, Suha Hirani, Anmol Hira, Aqsa Mushtaq, Isra Khan, Mariam Mahmood, Nadia Khan, Zehmena Malik, Zulfia Nazir.

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Myanmar edge past Pakistan in AFC Asian Cup Qualifier

YANGON: Myanmar sealed a narrow 1-0 victory over Pakistan in a closely contested encounter at the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier here at the Thuwunna Stadium on Tuesday.

The goal that sealed a win for Myanmar came late in the first half, courtesy of forward Than Paing.

The Green Shirts, who started the match with a defensive strategy,
shifted gears in the second half and pressed forward in search of an equaliser.

Despite being on the verge of scoring a goal, the Pakistan team was unable to find the back of the net as Myanmar’s defence held firm.

The home team’s strong defence frustrated the Pakistan team, resulting in a narrow lead until the final whistle.

As a result, Pakistan is languishing at the bottom of Group E in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier after two matches.

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On the other hand, Myanmar now leads the group with six points from two games, solidifying their standing in the race for Asian Cup qualification.

Abdullah Iqbal, Pakistan’s captain, shared his thoughts following the match’s conclusion, lamenting his team’s poor results.

“Well, to be honest right now, I’m very disappointed, especially with the first half. I think we did not live up to the expectations, especially the defensive play that we’ve shown in the first half,” he said.

“We weren’t in the shape. We didn’t dare to play really, but in the second half we showed what we are capable of, and that’s what we should show more because that’s what our fans deserve,” he added.

Abdullah Iqbal apologised to fans despite a close encounter.

“First half I’m very disappointed with. I think it’s too bad we let the whole nation down the way we played the first half. The second was much better.

“I want to apologise to the fans for the first half and I hope that they see some potential we showed in the second half and hopefully we give them more joy by playing that way,” he concluded.

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