Football: Pakistan’s dismal show continues

U22 football team goes down to Syria in AFC qualifiers.

KARACHI: Pakistan football assistant coach Nasir Ismail was a disappointed man after the team’s dismal performance at the AFC U22 Championship qualifiers continued as they slumped to a 4-0 defeat to Syria in their Group B match in Jeddah.

Pakistan, who crashed out of the event after they lost to Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, have now played four matches in the tournament, losing three and drawing the other.

“We have no excuse for poor finishing at the goal post,” Ismail told The Express Tribune. “This is our biggest weakness. Although we’ve lost three matches, we’re upbeat about our last match against Palestine. We should win that and return home with one win. That is all we are left with.”

Syria forward Mardek Mardkian scored the opener in the 44th minute before Hamid Mido doubled his team’s lead in the 57th. With the match slipping away, Mahmoud Almawas scored another in the 66th minute before Mohammad Salem added insult to injury with Syria’s fourth goal in the final stages of the match.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2012.