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Sports Pakistan annex U16 crown in Kathmandu
Alam Zeb Safi
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
KARACHI: Pakistan clinched the inaugural South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under-16 Championships title in style after defeating arch-rivals India 2-1 in their showdown at the Dashrath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
Pakistan, who made their way into the final after beating Bangladesh 2-0 in the semifinal, gave the troubled nation a gift with a glorious win and also inked their name as the first champions of the event which has been recently inserted into the fold of SAFF competitions.
I am very thankful to Allah for helping us clinch the title, Pakistans jubilant coach Sajjad Mehmood told The News from Kathmandu.
Pakistan have also to their credit four titles in the South Asian Games held in 1989, 1991, 2004 and 2006.
Pakistan, who were missing their key striker Mohammad Bilal and Rashid Noor due to suspension, kept India under a lot of pressure in the game which was hit by a light drizzle in the start.
Midfielder Mohammad Zeeshan gave Pakistan the lead in the 25th minute when his pile-driver went past the India goalkeeper. India bounced back in the game with an equaliser on the stroke of half-time. In the second-half, Pakistan opted for more aggression and that soon paid dividends as Nowshera-born Mansoor Khan, who scored the lone goal in Pakistans 1-0 triumph over India in group stage, capitalized on a pass from Zainul Aabdeen in the 50th minute to score the winner.
Sajjad said that team spirit and unity among the players were the key behind their splendid effort in the six-team event.
I will say that all the boys played like a unit and the spirit they have shown in the entire tournament is laudable, he said.
We knew that India would play with long passes and while they looked dangerous in the earlier stages, we were slowly able to clip their wings with a better strategy and didnt allow them to sneak through our defence, the coach said.
We have given a gift to the nation in Ramadan and the people of Pakistan should welcome the team on its arrival, Sajjad said.
He added that the title victory would usher in a new era in Pakistan football.
I believed that we wanted a title to give a boost to football and we did exactly that and Im sure that with this a new era will start in Pakistans football and you will see further improvement in the game in future, he remarked.
He said that the PFF should stick to this unit for the forthcoming competitions as well.
We have got a good young batch and now the PFF should stick to it. Next month we are going to appear in the AFC Under-16 Championship qualifiers in Kuwait and Im optimistic that we will also perform well and will be able to enter the tournament proper which will be held next year, Sajjad concluded.
Pakistan will return here on Thursday (today) at 7:20pm and will then fly to Lahore the next day.
Earlier, hosts Nepal clinched third position after beating Bangladesh 2-1 in the play-off for the third place.
Alam Zeb Safi
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
KARACHI: Pakistan clinched the inaugural South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under-16 Championships title in style after defeating arch-rivals India 2-1 in their showdown at the Dashrath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
Pakistan, who made their way into the final after beating Bangladesh 2-0 in the semifinal, gave the troubled nation a gift with a glorious win and also inked their name as the first champions of the event which has been recently inserted into the fold of SAFF competitions.
I am very thankful to Allah for helping us clinch the title, Pakistans jubilant coach Sajjad Mehmood told The News from Kathmandu.
Pakistan have also to their credit four titles in the South Asian Games held in 1989, 1991, 2004 and 2006.
Pakistan, who were missing their key striker Mohammad Bilal and Rashid Noor due to suspension, kept India under a lot of pressure in the game which was hit by a light drizzle in the start.
Midfielder Mohammad Zeeshan gave Pakistan the lead in the 25th minute when his pile-driver went past the India goalkeeper. India bounced back in the game with an equaliser on the stroke of half-time. In the second-half, Pakistan opted for more aggression and that soon paid dividends as Nowshera-born Mansoor Khan, who scored the lone goal in Pakistans 1-0 triumph over India in group stage, capitalized on a pass from Zainul Aabdeen in the 50th minute to score the winner.
Sajjad said that team spirit and unity among the players were the key behind their splendid effort in the six-team event.
I will say that all the boys played like a unit and the spirit they have shown in the entire tournament is laudable, he said.
We knew that India would play with long passes and while they looked dangerous in the earlier stages, we were slowly able to clip their wings with a better strategy and didnt allow them to sneak through our defence, the coach said.
We have given a gift to the nation in Ramadan and the people of Pakistan should welcome the team on its arrival, Sajjad said.
He added that the title victory would usher in a new era in Pakistan football.
I believed that we wanted a title to give a boost to football and we did exactly that and Im sure that with this a new era will start in Pakistans football and you will see further improvement in the game in future, he remarked.
He said that the PFF should stick to this unit for the forthcoming competitions as well.
We have got a good young batch and now the PFF should stick to it. Next month we are going to appear in the AFC Under-16 Championship qualifiers in Kuwait and Im optimistic that we will also perform well and will be able to enter the tournament proper which will be held next year, Sajjad concluded.
Pakistan will return here on Thursday (today) at 7:20pm and will then fly to Lahore the next day.
Earlier, hosts Nepal clinched third position after beating Bangladesh 2-1 in the play-off for the third place.
