Pakistan lost 3-2 to India in their SAFF Championship opener at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday, after a late fightback fell just short against their Group B opponents.
The defeat came in the first match of the tournament for Pakistan, and it left India with all three points from the Group B encounter. The result sets the tone for Pakistan’s campaign, with one group fixture remaining.
Pakistan trailed 3-0 at half-time, a scoreline that left the team with a steep task in the second half. Three goals behind at the interval, Pakistan faced the prospect of a heavy defeat unless they could find a way back into the match.
The second half brought a response from Pakistan, but the goals that would have changed the outcome came very late. Najeebullah scored in stoppage time, giving Pakistan a goal and a measure of hope in the closing moments of the game.
Alamgir Ghazi then added a second goal, also in stoppage time, with a spectacular overhead kick. The strike was the standout moment of Pakistan’s fightback, and it brought the score to 3-2 with the match almost over.
The two goals in stoppage time transformed the closing stages of the game. From a position of trailing 3-0, Pakistan had pulled the score back to a single goal, and the momentum in those final moments was with them.
India, however, held on for the win. Despite the pressure created by Pakistan’s two late goals, India kept their lead through the remaining minutes and secured all three points from the Group B encounter.
The final score of 3-2 therefore reflects two very different phases of the match. The first half belonged to India, who built a three-goal lead by the break, while the closing stages belonged to Pakistan, who scored twice in stoppage time.
For Pakistan, the fightback will offer some encouragement, but it was not enough to rescue a point. The team scored twice in the final moments, yet the three goals conceded in the first half proved decisive.
The match was played at the National Stadium in Dhaka, the venue for the Group B encounter. The setting placed the fixture in the Bangladeshi capital, where the SAFF Championship is being contested.
Pakistan are coached by Nolberto Solano, who was in charge for the opener against India. The match was his team’s first test in the tournament, and the second-half response will form part of his assessment of the performance.
The defeat means Pakistan now face a decisive fixture in their remaining group match. They play the Maldives on Sunday in their final Group B fixture, and that match will determine how their group campaign ends.
With India having taken three points from the opener, Pakistan go into the Maldives match knowing that the result will shape their position in the group. The final group fixture carries the weight of the campaign after the opening defeat.
The late goals from Najeebullah and Ghazi will be remembered as the highlights of Pakistan’s performance in Dhaka. Ghazi’s overhead kick, in particular, provided a spectacular moment in a match that had looked beyond Pakistan at half-time.
Najeebullah’s goal opened the fightback, and Ghazi’s followed to complete the two-goal burst in stoppage time. Together, the two goals brought Pakistan to within one goal of India, and they changed the character of the closing minutes.
India’s ability to hold on, however, was the decisive factor in the final minutes. Faced with a sudden surge from Pakistan, India kept their shape and saw out the remaining time to protect their 3-2 lead.
The result leaves Pakistan with work to do in the group. The 3-0 deficit at half-time is the part of the match that will concern the coaching staff, while the stoppage-time response shows that the team kept fighting until the end.
On Sunday, against the Maldives, Pakistan will have the chance to respond to the opening defeat. That final Group B fixture now carries the focus for the team as they look to finish their group campaign on a stronger note.
Source: Dawn
