Palestine post victory, fans overjoyed at the return of international football

Pakistan looked set to make amends against Palestine at home but suffered their third consecutive defeat.

LAHORE: Palestine edged past Pakistan 2-1 in a closely contested match at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore, the win taking the visitors one-up in the two-match series.

Both teams displayed swift counter-attacks right from the start, with Pakistan impressing in the fifth minute with Mehmood Khan just missing the target. After the initial surge by the hosts, the visitors retaliated and dominated the game with most of the possession.

The see-saw battle continued until the 23rd minute when Palestine took the lead off a free-kick by Atif Abubilal, who shot past goal-keeper Mohammad Omer. Following the breach, Pakistan lost the edge over their opponents, failing to gain back possession. To add to their misery, Palestine doubled the lead through Husam Wadi in the 30th minute. However, Pakistan fought back as Mohammad Tauseef converted a penalty kick to give his team some hope.

As the match entered the second-half, the visitors were determined to uphold their lead as Pakistan failed to score, missing two very good chances and with that, a chance to level the opener.

Fans fill the stadium

Although Pakistan lost 2-1, the match will be remembered for the 3,000 local and foreign spectators that filled the stands and cheered for their teams, sending a strong message to the world that Pakistan are back in contention to host foreign teams.

“I’m least bothered about security concerns and am here to watch my favourite game,” a Palestinian student, currently studying in a local university told The Express Tribune. “This is a rare opportunity for us to cheer for our team and it’s the best entertainment for us away from home.

“I know things aren’t good in Pakistan but I’m still here without any fear. I feel safe, maybe because the security around me is quite tight.”

The game spirit and excitement in the sport-deprived nation was all they carried as local football fans have almost forgotten the Sri Lankan team attack and believe the incident is “now history”. Pakistan was rocked by a spate of suicide bombings, armed attacks, and killings in 2009 by Taliban and al Qaeda militants and their affiliates that targeted civilians, the political elite of the country, educational institutions, hospitals, marketplaces, and even the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team.

“I was desperately waiting for such a high profile international event, in which we were given an opportunity to cheer our country,” said a Pakistani football fan.

The country, despite having a great tradition in sports activities and a rich history in most of the games, was suffering heavily since the last couple of years. Pakistan have not hosted an international cricket match since March 2009 and were stripped of the ongoing World Cup hosting rights.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2^nd, 2011.