Iraq produced a devastating second-half performance to crush Pakistan 8–1 in their AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers opener at the Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, on Wednesday.
The game was competitive for the first hour, with Pakistan showing resilience to trail only 1–0 at the break. Iraq’s Amoori Faisal had converted a 33rd-minute penalty to open the scoring after relentless pressure, but Pakistan’s backline held firm otherwise.
Just three minutes into the second half, Ali Jasim doubled Iraq’s lead, but Pakistan struck back through McKeal Abdullah in the 61st minute. The striker’s composed finish made it 2–1, briefly igniting hope for the Green Shirts.
However, Iraq responded mercilessly. Jasim completed his brace within six minutes, extending the lead to 3–1 and then 4–1. With Pakistan unable to contain the waves of attacks, A. Aiad, Dhulfiqar Younis Al-Imari, and Ali Sadiq all added late goals, piling further misery on the Pakistan defense. By stoppage time, the scoreboard reflected a humbling 8–1 defeat for the Men in Green.
The result cements Iraq at the top of Group G, putting them in a commanding position to qualify for next year’s final tournament in Saudi Arabia. For Pakistan, who sit bottom of the group, the challenge now is to recover quickly with crucial fixtures ahead.
They next face hosts Cambodia on September 6, before meeting Oman on September 9, needing points from both matches to keep faint hopes of qualification alive.
For now, though, Iraq’s ruthlessness underlined the gulf in quality, while Pakistan will be left rueing a collapse that turned a respectable fight into a heavy defeat.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ