Pakistan record first home win in a decade

Hosts celebrate 2-1 win over Afghanistan in Lahore friendly.

KARACHI: Pakistan won their first match at home since 2005 on Friday, defeating Afghanistan 2-1 in a friendly at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore.

The win against the neighbours was all the more special as Pakistan had won their last match at home against the same team nearly a decade ago.

“I’m delighted with the win,” Pakistan’s Bahraini coach Mohamed Shamlan told The Express Tribune after the match. “It’s a win for everyone; for my players, for the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and for the country. I’m happy that my team played like a unit — no individual play. They were just great.”

A day of headers

Pakistan took full advantage of their home ground as Riaz Ahmed scored the opening goal of the match in the 18th minute on a header, assisted by captain Hassan Bashir.



The team led 1-0 at the interval, following which Afghanistan’s Ameeruddin Sharifi equalised in the 56th minute, also on a header.

The hosts finally managed to score the winner through a late Saadullah header in the first minute of added time just seconds before the final whistle.

Shamlan said that winning against Afghanistan, who are the current South Asian Football Federation champions, is no mean feat.

“Their side was more experienced than mine and I didn’t have [international players] Zesh Rehman, Otis Khan, Kaleemullah and [Muhammad] Adil among others,” he said. “We won against all odds.”

Meanwhile, winning captain Bashir was all smiles with the achievement under his charge, adding that it was his first competitive match since November.

“I was a little out of shape, but I’m glad it all worked out fine,” he said. “It was an honour for me to lead this team.”

Giving due appreciation

Afghanistan captain Djelaluddin Sharityar, who plays in a German club, appreciated Pakistan’s game and praised Shamlan for the team’s improvement.

“I enjoyed playing in Lahore,” said Sharityar. “Last time when Afghanistan defeated Pakistan in Kabul 3-0, I was injured. But from what I observed, Pakistan have improved a lot with Shamlan.”

The Afghan captain also hopes to explore the host city. “I’d like to come back to Lahore again on my own. We couldn’t go out much due to the security, but we enjoyed here,” he added.

So far, Pakistan have won 12 matches since 2005, drawing a further 11 and losing 25.

PFF President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat and secretary Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi also congratulated the national side for winning.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th,  2015.

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