K-Electric held by Druk United in six-goal thriller
Reigning Pakistan champions come from behind to draw 3-3 in AFC Cup qualifier
Head coach Majid Shafiq, while disappointed by the result, commended his players for maintaining their composure against Bhutan’s top side and get a point on their AFC debut. PHOTO COURTESY: K-ELECTRIC
KARACHI:
K-Electric find themselves in a tricky spot after drawing the first match of their 2016 Asian Football Federation (AFC) Cup qualifier 3-3 against Bhutanese club Druk United at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimpu on Tuesday.
The reigning Pakistan champions needed a win in both of their Group A matches, comprising three teams, to confirm a berth in the next round. However, with the draw, they now need to win the next match against Khoromkhon on Thursday and then wait for the results of the match between Druk United and Khoromkhon on August 15 to know their fate in Asian football’s second-tier club tournament.
Chitral-based striker Muhammad Rasool drew first blood in the encounter by scoring in the eighth minute, while Druk United’s Tshering Dorji equalised in the 21st.
KE managed to retake the lead just before half-time through Rasool to ensure that the Karachi-outfit led 2-1 at the interval.
Druk United were much improved in the second half though and managed to break KE’s defence twice, first in the 58th minute through Tshering Wangdi for the equaliser and then through Dorji’s second goal in the 71st to grab the lead.
KE, however, managed to get back in the game and salvage a point through substitute Habibur Rahman in the 86th minute.
KE manager Zabe Khan was disappointed with the result and blamed defensive errors for the first and third goal. “We should’ve won,” Zabe told The Express Tribune. “The first and third goals were entirely our own fault. We got easily beat there. Even though we created a lot of opportunities and scored three goals, we somehow were not able to win. We’re hoping to learn from our mistakes and avoid them in the next match.”
Meanwhile, man-of-the-match Rasool emphasised on the importance of the upcoming match against Khoromkhon and hoped that he can deliver an even better performance on Thursday. “It is essential for us to win as there is no other way,” said Rasool. “I scored twice but Druk United nullified them [with goals of their own]. We need to be more focused and make fewer mistakes in the next encounter because we can’t afford to lose that.”
Rasool, who was the top scorer for KE in last season’s Pakistan Premier Football League, also stated that even though the team did not get the intended result, there are many positives to be taken from the game. “Everything was great in the match, it was exciting but it was also bad luck to take the lead and not win,” said Rasool. “Before the match we thought that Druk were a good side, but now I can say that we were the better side. We played with remarkable cohesion and if we continue the same momentum and be more focused defensively then we can certainly win the next match.”
Head coach Majid Shafiq, while disappointed by the result, commended his players for maintaining their composure against Bhutan’s top side, which included five players from the national team that progressed to the 2014 World Cup qualifiers as well.
“I know the result was not what we wanted but I am proud of my players. We scored thrice and created nine openings against Bhutan’s top team, which also includes five internationals,” Majid told The Express Tribune. “I am pleased that despite being one goal down in the final minutes, we managed to equalise and salvage a point. At our AFC Cup debut, we start with a point and that’s not bad.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2015.
K-Electric find themselves in a tricky spot after drawing the first match of their 2016 Asian Football Federation (AFC) Cup qualifier 3-3 against Bhutanese club Druk United at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimpu on Tuesday.
The reigning Pakistan champions needed a win in both of their Group A matches, comprising three teams, to confirm a berth in the next round. However, with the draw, they now need to win the next match against Khoromkhon on Thursday and then wait for the results of the match between Druk United and Khoromkhon on August 15 to know their fate in Asian football’s second-tier club tournament.
Chitral-based striker Muhammad Rasool drew first blood in the encounter by scoring in the eighth minute, while Druk United’s Tshering Dorji equalised in the 21st.
KE managed to retake the lead just before half-time through Rasool to ensure that the Karachi-outfit led 2-1 at the interval.
Druk United were much improved in the second half though and managed to break KE’s defence twice, first in the 58th minute through Tshering Wangdi for the equaliser and then through Dorji’s second goal in the 71st to grab the lead.
KE, however, managed to get back in the game and salvage a point through substitute Habibur Rahman in the 86th minute.
KE manager Zabe Khan was disappointed with the result and blamed defensive errors for the first and third goal. “We should’ve won,” Zabe told The Express Tribune. “The first and third goals were entirely our own fault. We got easily beat there. Even though we created a lot of opportunities and scored three goals, we somehow were not able to win. We’re hoping to learn from our mistakes and avoid them in the next match.”
Meanwhile, man-of-the-match Rasool emphasised on the importance of the upcoming match against Khoromkhon and hoped that he can deliver an even better performance on Thursday. “It is essential for us to win as there is no other way,” said Rasool. “I scored twice but Druk United nullified them [with goals of their own]. We need to be more focused and make fewer mistakes in the next encounter because we can’t afford to lose that.”
Rasool, who was the top scorer for KE in last season’s Pakistan Premier Football League, also stated that even though the team did not get the intended result, there are many positives to be taken from the game. “Everything was great in the match, it was exciting but it was also bad luck to take the lead and not win,” said Rasool. “Before the match we thought that Druk were a good side, but now I can say that we were the better side. We played with remarkable cohesion and if we continue the same momentum and be more focused defensively then we can certainly win the next match.”
Head coach Majid Shafiq, while disappointed by the result, commended his players for maintaining their composure against Bhutan’s top side, which included five players from the national team that progressed to the 2014 World Cup qualifiers as well.
“I know the result was not what we wanted but I am proud of my players. We scored thrice and created nine openings against Bhutan’s top team, which also includes five internationals,” Majid told The Express Tribune. “I am pleased that despite being one goal down in the final minutes, we managed to equalise and salvage a point. At our AFC Cup debut, we start with a point and that’s not bad.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2015.