KARACHI: Pakistan booked their place in the final of the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament in the Maldives with a 2-0 victory over Afghanistan on Sunday, securing a second consecutive win and reaching their first senior men’s international final in 35 years.
Goals from Umar Nawaz and Harun Hamid guided Pakistan to victory in their final round-robin fixture of the four-nation tournament, ensuring they finished among the top two teams and advanced to Wednesday’s title clash.
The achievement marks Pakistan’s first appearance in a senior men’s international final since the 1991 South Asian Federation Games. It is also the country’s first appearance in the final of a stand-alone international football tournament since the 1962 Merdeka Tournament, where Pakistan finished runners-up after a 2-1 defeat to Indonesia.
Pakistan entered the match needing only a draw to secure qualification following their 3-0 victory over hosts Maldives earlier in the tournament, a result that had ended a 961-day wait for an international win.
Nolberto Solano’s side made the perfect start when Umar opened the scoring in the fifth minute. The striker met a low cross from Shayek Dost and calmly side-footed the ball into the net to give Pakistan an early lead.
The goal allowed Pakistan to settle into the contest and dictate large spells of play. Afghanistan, coached by former Pakistan head coach Jose Antonio Nogueira, struggled to create meaningful openings in the first half despite their urgency to stay in contention for a place in the final.
Pakistan continued to threaten through the attacking trio of Umar, Shayek and Otis Khan, while Haris Zeb and Fazal provided width from the flanks. Defender Easah Suliman came close to doubling the lead after being played through by Otis Khan, but his effort from outside the box sailed over the crossbar.
Afghanistan’s best chance of the opening half arrived in stoppage time when captain Omid Popalzay struck the woodwork from a free kick, allowing Pakistan to take a slender advantage into the interval.
Afghanistan pushed forward after the restart in search of an equaliser, but Pakistan remained dangerous on the counterattack. On the hour mark, Shayek Dost’s clever pass sent Ali Agha through on goal, only for the midfielder to drag his shot wide with the goalkeeper beaten.
The Afghans also threatened through Omid Mosawi, whose header drifted wide of the target, but clear-cut opportunities remained scarce as Pakistan’s defense held firm.
Pakistan eventually sealed the result in first-half injury time when substitute Harun Hamid latched onto a through ball from Adil Nabi and fired a powerful shot into the net, sparking celebrations among the Pakistani players and supporters.
The victory completed an impressive turnaround for Pakistan, who have won two of their three matches in the tournament after opening with a defeat. The team will now look to capture its first senior men’s international final since 1991 South Asian Games, where it defeated the Maldives 2- 0. This win will also be Pakistan’s first standalone tournament title since sharing the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament crown with India in 1952, which was played on basis of round robin league.
Pakistan will face either Bangladesh U23 or Afghanistan in the final on June 10, with the Green Shirts aiming to cap a memorable week in the Maldives by lifting the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament trophy.
