April 04, 2008	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1429

LAHORE, April 3: Pakistan staged a sensational comeback to notch up a 2-1 win over Chinese Taipei in the opening match of the second AFC Challenge Cup Group ‘A’ qualifiers at the Chungshan Soccer Stadium in Taipei on Wednesday night.

They now meet the 2006 edition’s runner-up Sri Lanka on Friday, followed by their first-ever international meeting with the little-known Guam on April 6.

Pakistan will feature as the favourites in both encounters as both the sides are much lower than them in FIFA rankings.

The home team settled down first. Scoring in the initial five minutes of the match, Chinese Taipei looked dangerous enough to double the lead when Pakistan’s defence line came into action blocked their attacks.

The scored was levelled in the 14th minute by the captain of the Pakistan team, Mohammad Essa.

Pakistan struck their second goal in the 31st minute of the match when midfielder Michael Masih from Army earned the match-winner for his side. It was Masih’s first international goal. The player made his international debut against Nepal on March 25 this year. Pakistan kept their 2-1 lead intact till the interval.

The home team, with players from Tatung, NSTC, Taipower, Taiwan PE College, tried their best to break Pakistan’s defence but Tanveer Ahmed, Muhammad Imran and Samar Ishaq kept alert as their side, which is dominated by KRL players, earned their first win over the East Asian nation. This was the second encounter between the two countries after their first match way back in 1958 at the third Asian Games.

While Pakistan play Sri Lanka on Friday, Guam take on Chinese Taipei.