Pakistan 1……………….Afghanistan 0

Maldives 2……………….Sri Lanka 0

KARACHI, Dec 9: Mohammad Essa’s stunning free kick booked Pakistan a semifinal berth at SAFF soccer championship after a slim 1-0 triumph over a fighting Afghanistan at People’s Sports Complex on Friday.

By no means it was an easy sailing for the home side as Afghans surprisingly put a fighting display in a total contrast to their 9-1 loss against Maldives in the first match.

Pakistan indeed were better team but poor finishing made the task of winning a difficult one.

As instructed by coach Salman Ahmed Sharida, Pakistan rattled the opponents with a blistering second-minute attack. Zahid Hameed set up Imran Hussain who found the net before being ruled offside.

Undeterred, the Afghans retaliated with a counter-attack the next minute. Sayed Bashir Azimi tried to drill home from 16 yards only to see Pakistan goalkeeper Jaffar Khan making the save.

As the game proceeded at a blistering pace, Pakistan maintained their domination against the neighbours and came close to scoring in the 12th minute. Imran Hussain, however, missed the opportunity having the Afghanistan goal at his mercy with goalkeeper Shamsuddin Amiri out of position.

While the Afghanistan defence denied space to Pakistan forwards, Hafizullah Qadami closely marked Zesh Rehman like a shadow whenever the versatile player came into Afghanistan goal area.

Afghanistan’s Iskamuddin Amiri was yellow carded for a rough tackle on Arif Mahmood near touchline in the 42nd minute, while Essa missed a sitter a minute before breather.

It was the Afghans who shook the hosts barely two minutes after interval, Mustafa Bayat fed Azimi who failed to find the target.

Essa, who was looking off-colour, finally poached the match-winner in the 54th minute when he floated an inch-perfect free kick from 20 yards that crashed into the left corner of the net.

Afghanistan survived yet another anxious moment two minutes later when Imran Niazi’s curling corner was well connected by Essa but tipped over the bar by Amiri.

Essa should have ended Afghanistan’s resistance when Arif unselfishly passed the ball onto Essa who failed to find the cage in the 66th minute.

The Afghans came back into the game in late second half. Bayat made a gallant dash only to collide with Jaffar in the box, while his weak effort went across the face of the goal.

The home side almost increased their lead when a Imran Niazi’s free kick from a tight angle four minutes before time hit the side netting.

Earlier, the Maldives became the Group ‘A’ champions when they qualified for the semifinals with a 2-0 victory over rough-tackling ten-man Sri Lanka.

The Indian Ocean islanders went 1-0 up when Ashfaq Ali netted following hard work by Thariq Ahmed in the 17th minute.

Maldives came near doubling the lead. Ahmed set up from the left only to see Fazeel Ibrahim wasting the opportunity in the 50th minute.

Sir Lankans paid heavy price for rough play, as after several yellow cards, Bangladesh referee Abdul Hannan red carded K.N.W. Jaysuriya for rough play and dissent in the 72nd minute.

Maldives grabbed their second in the 85th minute when Umer Ali netted through a spot kick after Sri Lanka goalkeeper S.D. Thilakaratne hacked Ahmed in the box when he was shaping to shoot.

Saturday’s fixtures: India v Bhutan at 3.15pm; Bangladesh v Nepal at 6.00pm.