Pakistan’s hopes of progressing in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship were dashed as they suffered another 4-0 defeat in a match held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore on Saturday evening.
Kuwait dominated the game, taking advantage of Pakistan’s disorganized defense and lack of pressure from their forwards. The Pakistani team struggled to contain 23-year-old Mobarak Al-Faneeni, who scored twice, showcasing his agility and skill against the Pakistani defense.
In the 10th minute, Hasan al Enezi capitalized on a loose ball to score Kuwait’s first goal, visibly unsettling the Pakistani goalkeeper Yousaf Ejaz Butt. Al-Faneeni then stole the show six minutes later, netting a goal from a pass by Eid Naser Al Rashedi. The right-winger proved instrumental in keeping the Pakistani defense on their toes throughout the match.
Al-Faneeni continued to torment Pakistan, extending Kuwait’s lead in the first minute of added time before halftime. Once again, the Pakistani defense failed to close in on Al-Faneeni, allowing him to slot the ball into an almost unguarded net.
Although Kuwait had a goal disallowed for offside early in the second half, they managed to increase their lead when Al Rashedi found the back of the net in the 69th minute.
Pakistan changed their squad compared to their previous match against host nation India, in which they also lost 4-0. Despite having little time to recover from their travel from Mauritius, as they had to play a few hours after landing in Bangalore, fatigue was not the sole reason for their lackluster performance on June 21.
Read: India Triumphs Over Pakistan in First Home-hosted Football Match Since 2014
In the match against Kuwait, Pakistan managed just three shots on target and had only 32 percent of possession, compared to Kuwait’s seven shots.
With this result, Kuwait and India, who defeated Nepal 2-0 in the second Group A match, secured their places in the tournament’s semi-finals. India’s Sunil Chhetri scored his 91st goal for the national team, expressing his satisfaction with the outcome, despite India’s failure to score in the first half.
In the group standings, Kuwait finished at the top of Group A.
