Pakistan claims its first-ever win in soccer World Cup qualifying, edging Cambodia 1-0

By: John Duerden, The Associated Press Posted: 7:34 AM CDT Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023 Last Modified: 6:49 PM CDT Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023

Advertise with us

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's national soccer team won a World Cup qualifying game for the first time, beating Cambodia 1-0 in Islamabad on Tuesday to advance to the second round in Asia.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's national soccer team won a World Cup qualifying game for the first time, beating Cambodia 1-0 in Islamabad on Tuesday to advance to the second round in Asia.

Read unlimited articles for free today:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/10/2023 (1083 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s national soccer team won a World Cup qualifying game for the first time, beating Cambodia 1-0 in Islamabad on Tuesday to advance to the second round in Asia.

After the first leg in Phnom Penh finished 0-0, an angled left-foot half-volley from Harun Hamid was enough to secure victory at Jinnah Sports Stadium in a first home game for Pakistan since 2015.

It was also the first win for Pakistan, ranked 197th, since 2018. It joins Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Jordan in Group G of Asian qualifying, which kicks off next month.

South Korea's Kim Min-jae, second from right, celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal during an international friendly soccer match between South Korea and Vietnam in Suwon, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon).

Pakistan was banned by FIFA in April 2021 for 15 months because of “undue third party interference” — its second ban in four years.

Pakistan will be joined in the second stage by nine other teams after two-leg, home-and-away series for the Asian Football Confederation’s 20 lowest-ranked teams.

With no domestic league since 2018, Pakistan’s English coach Stephen Constantine, appointed just 13 days before the first of the qualifying games last week, faced a difficult job.

Ahead of the games against Cambodia, Constantine had promised: “If we get the combination right, watch out.”

The Pakistan Football Federation posted a video on social media of Constantine celebrating with the team after the historic win, with the message: “The floor is all yours, Coach. We’ve made history.”

Singapore beat Guam 3-1 on aggregate after winning 1-0 on Tuesday, and Afghanistan also beat Mongolia 1-0 to advance 2-0 overall.

Yemen was held 1-1 at Sri Lanka, Asia’s lowest-ranked team at No. 202, but had done enough in its home leg to advance 4-1 on aggregate.

The other teams to advance to the 36-nation second round are Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Nepal, Indonesia and Myanmar.

South Korea's Son Heung-min, center left, fights for the ball against Vietnam's Pham Tuan Hai during an international friendly soccer match in Suwon, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon).

Myanmar will open the next stage against Japan, which beat Tunisia 2-0 in a friendly at Kobe, a sixth successive victory, thanks to a goal in each half from Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi and Junya Ito.

In another friendly, South Korea routed Vietnam 6-0 at Suwon, just south of Seoul, in coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s third straight win.

Apart from Vo Minh Trong’s own-goal, all the scorers for South Korea were European-based players: Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton, Tottenham’s Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain and Stuttgart’s Jeong Woo-yeong.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer