KARACHI: Even though Pakistan beat Belgium 2-0 in their second Champions Trophy match in Melbourne on Sunday, they couldn’t really put on an attacking game, said former Pakistan captain and coach Islahuddin Siddiqui.

“The fact that Pakistan couldn’t get a single penalty-corner during the 70 minutes of play is itself proof that our attack was weak,” he told Dawn soon after the match.

“A good attacking game would be one where they take the lead in the first 10 minutes and double it quickly,” he said. “But here the entire first half remained barren. Belgium, too, missed several chances. Had that not happened the match result would have been quite different.

“Also, ball possession was with Belgium for 50 per cent of the time. Pakistan, if looking to win against Australia next, should hold ball possession for as long as they can as a team and not as individuals so that the passes go to your players only, preventing counter attacks from the other side. As long as they keep the ball with them, the other team won’t have a chance to score. It really is as simple as that,” Islah explained.

“The win gives Pakistan three valuable points. Beating Australia on Tuesday, would take the green shirts to the semi-finals,” he said while sending his best wishes for the national side for their next match.