The Syrian football team secured victory against Pakistan in the opening fixture of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. It was a comfortable outing for a team ranked 93rd in the FIFA Rankings against a team ranked 198th in the FIFA rankings.
Syrian Football Team 2-0 Pakistan Football Team – as it happened
As expected, the Syrian football team enjoyed plenty of possession during the early stages of the game. But they could not pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s goal. The first real opening of the game came in the 12th minute. Omar Al Somah fired a shot towards the goal, which Abdullah Iqbal blocked, but it fell into the path of Mustafa Abdullatif, who hit the side netting.
After that attempt, the Syrian football team kept on attacking Pakistan’s goal at regular intervals. The Shaheens kept resolute in defense and managed to keep the score at 0-0. But their resilience finally came to an end when Ahmad Faqa scored a towering header from a corner to give his side the lead.
A few minutes later, the Syrian captain missed a glorious opportunity to double his side’s advantage when he fired his header wide from inside the six-yard box. For the majority of the first half, the home side remained in ascendency. And Pakistan was finding it hard to deal with their oppositions’ threat.
This was evident from the fact that Shaheen’s first attempt at the goal came in the 37th minute. Ali Uzair’s cross found Alamghir at the edge of the box. He controlled the ball well, but just when he was going to strike, he slipped, sending the ball high above the crossbar.
The Second Half
The visitors began the second half with a positive intent by pressuring the Syrian defense. And they were almost rewarded for their efforts when Abdullah Iqbal failed to convert Rahis Nabi’s corner kick by only a few millimeters. The game would have sprung into life had Abdullah managed to score there.
Nonetheless, it did not take the Qasioun Eagles long enough to assert their dominance in the game once again. In the 53rd minute, Omar Khribin’s header almost found the back of Pakistan’s goal. But the Shaheens’ goalie, Yousuf Butt, was up to the task and made an outstanding save to keep his side in the game.
Unfortunately, Yousuf’s joy was short-lived as minutes later, the home side scored again courtesy of Omar Al Somah. Once again, Pakistan failed to defend a corner properly, as Omar scored from close range. There was a hint offside against the No.9, but the linesman decided to keep his flag down.
For the rest of the match, Syrian Football Team had the majority of the ball but failed to increase their advantage. Meanwhile, the Shaheens just could not get any sort of momentum into their game and lost the ball far too easily.
What’s next for the Pakistan Football Team?
The Men in Green return to their home soil in the next international break. They are set to host Myanmar in the next fixture of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. The match is scheduled to take place at the Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad on 10th June.
The Pakistan faithful would be hoping that their side can take full advantage of the home crowd like they did against Cambodia back in 2023, and get their first points on the board in Group E,
