Pakistan suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in the FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia's Feras Albrikan scored two goals in the first half, while Musab Al-Juwayr went on the offensive to score the third shortly after the break.
Pakistan are last in Group G, having lost all five matches they have played so far. Pakistan began their journey with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in Al-Ahsa in November, followed by a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Tajikistan in Islamabad in the same month.
In the post-match talk, Abdullah Iqbal said that they conceded goals due to their own mistakes.
“We played very well. The goals we conceded were due to our mistakes and if that hadn't happened, the match could have been a little different. Thanks to the fans for their support,” Iqbal said.
Jordan then defeated Pakistan 3-0 in Islamabad in a match held in Ramadan and the Shaheens also lost the second leg 7-0 at the Amman International Stadium.
After the match against Saudi Arabia, Pakistan will face Tajikistan in their final group match in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Pakistan Team in FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers:
Goalkeepers: Yousuf Butt (R), Saqib Hanif and Hassan Ali
Defenders: Abdullah Iqbal (R), Mohammad Fazal (R), Haseeb Khan, Rao Omer Hayat, Mamoon Moosa, Mohammad Saddam, Waqar Ihtisham, Moin Ahmed and Abdul Rehman
Midfielders: Rahis Nabi (D), Otis Khan (D), Ali Uzair, Umair Ali, Toqeer ul Hassan, Alamgir Ghazi and Ali Zafar
Forward: Imran Kayani (D), McKeal Abdulah, Fareedulah, Adeel Younas and Shayak Two.
