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| March 16, 2007 | Friday | Safar 26, 1428 |
Pakistan suffer second loss as Qatar win: Olympic soccer qualifiers
LAHORE, March 15: Pakistan suffered yet another loss in Beijing Olympic soccer qualifiers when they lost to Qatar 0-2 in the second round match at Islamabad’s Jinnah Stadium Wednesday night.
Pakistan tested Qatari goalkeeper Qasem Burhan through Farooq Shah's long range drive. Qatar's only serious move came in the 38th minute but Pakistani goalkeeper Ghulam Nabi foiled the attempt by Magdi Abdulla.
After a dull first half, Qatar finally broke the deadlock in the second session when Waleed Jassim slotted home in the 74th minute after Chinese referee Yang Zhiqiang penalised Pakistani stopper Haji Muhammad for handball.
Pakistan went all out for an equalizer only to see Muhammad Rasool missing the chance in the 78th minute. Three minutes later Qatar missed a sitter when Adel Lamy failed to connect a Waleed cross.
When it seemed that the match would end in 1-0 win for the visitors, Lamy struck the second in the third minute of injury time with close-range drive. The Pakistanis appealed for an off-side but the referee didn’t change the decision.
At a post-match press conference, Qatar's head coach Mouly Harmatallah Sbai praised the fighting spirit of the home side, saying Muhammad Shahid, Muhammad Ahmed, Haji Muhammad and Samar Ishaq put up stubborn defence.
Pakistan coach Mohammad Rasheed said his 1-5-4-1 formation worked as planned but the goal through penalty kick created trouble.
Pakistan, who were thrashed 8-0 by Bahrain in the first match of the second phase, will now take on Kuwait at Lahore's Punjab Stadium on March 28, while Qatar will play Bahrain the same day.—PPI
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