KARACHI: It was the sort of game for which Masha United have assembled their team for.

Against Karachi United, one of the country’s leading women’s football team; a side whose structure Masha aspire to have despite their philosophies being very different; a side which has slowly and steadily risen to the top of Pakistan football.

Masha’s rise to the top, on the other hand, has been very swift.

In October last year, they and United both earned promotion to the Pakistan Premier Football League — the country’s elite men’s football competition. Their journeys couldn’t have been more different.

United had to wait six years to be able to earn promotion. Masha achieved that in their very first season.

Backed by businessman Rai Intikhab Ali, Masha recruited four top Nepalese players for their debut at the ongoing National Women’s Football Championship and cruised through their opening three Group ‘B’ matches, scoring a whopping 58 goals without conceding.

The three sides they came up against offered little resistance — one of them getting thrashed 35-0, a record score at the country’s elite football tournament.

United, therefore, offered Masha their first real test, their first game against a team that they would beat and make a statement of intent. Add to that, the clash at the KPT Stadium on Thursday was also to decide which team would finish top of the group.

Masha did finish top on goal difference but didn’t get the result they ideally would’ve wanted. A 2-2 draw, which featured a missed penalty early on from their free-scoring Nepalese forward Anita KC, left coach Nasir Ismail rueing what could’ve been.

“Had that penalty gone in, it would’ve changed everything,” Nasir told Dawn.

Probably yes, but that discounts the fact that United were tactically brilliant in thwarting Masha’s Nepalese frontline of Anita, Saru Limbu and Gita Rana.

“They marked them very tightly,” admitted Nasir. “We will have to do better in the quarter-finals and look for other outlets when our star players are stifled by the opposition.”

Not afforded the space they’ve been able to get in their opening three matches, it took Masha until the 41st minute to make the breakthrough.

Having shot straight at the keeper from the spot in the 13th minute, Anita made amends by squaring a pass for Areeba Abdul Aziz to tap in from close range.

United have their own free-scoring forward in this tournament in Zulfia Nasir and she levelled matters two minutes into the second half by converting a cutback from the byline.

It was the beginning of a 10-minute spell featuring three goals as the match swung back and forth.

Masha hit back in the 54th when Saru scored with an exquisite lob but last year’s beaten finalists United hit back three minutes later when Aliha Aladin scored with a long-range shot that dipped just at the right moment to beat Masha’s Nepalese goalkeeper Angela Thumpabo Subba.

In the other Group ‘B’ match on Thursday, Higher Education Commission rode on four goals from Sidra and a hat-trick from Anmol Hira to thrash Karachi Women’s FC 8-1 at the KMC Stadium and finish in third place.

Those two sides along with Sialkot City Women’s FC will now play in the developmental stage tournament for teams that fail to finish among the top two in the group stage.

United, meanwhile, advance to a last-eight clash against Pakistan Army in what would be a repeat of last year’s final which Army won 7-1.

Masha, meanwhile, progressed to a clash against Diya FC, another of Pakistan’s top women’s football sides. Win that match, and Masha would be able to make the statement they intend to make.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2021