ISLAMABAD
\nStephen Constantine had admitted Pakistan were the underdogs but the head coach was baffled by the way his charges crumbled against Tajikistan on Tuesday.
\nThe 61-year-old had just overseen his side being overrun in a 6-1 thrashing in their second Group \u2018G\u2019 match in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup here at the Jinnah Stadium and was visibly upset at how his team had played in front of a capacity crowd of over 18,000.
\n\u201cAt this level, you can\u2019t make the mistakes we made,\u201d Constantine told reporters at a news conference, the loss following a 4-0 defeat by Saudi Arabia five days earlier. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t execute our plan while the Tajiks stuck to theirs.\u201d
\nIt was ironic that the microphone malfunctioned as Constantine was speaking \u2014 once again the Englishman lamenting the deplorable state of football in Pakistan \u2014 and he responded by angrily pushing it aside.
\nHis side had earlier been pushed aside by an inspired Tajikistan side, who had raced into a 4-1 lead at half-time and could\u2019ve won by more.
\n\u201cIt was a fantastic performance by my side,\u201d Tajikistan coach Petar Segrt told reporters. \u201cWe\u2019ll make every attempt to reach the next round of World Cup qualifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
The top two sides in each of the nine qualifying groups advance to the third round of qualifying for the expanded 48-team World Cup in United States, Canada and Mexico. They also secure a spot at the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, with the bottom two moving into the third round of qualifying for the continental showpiece.<\/p>\n
Last year, Tajikistan secured a place at this year\u2019s Asian Cup by winning their group in the third qualifying round. That\u2019s the target Constantine has set for his men but on Tuesday\u2019s performance, it seems like a tall order.<\/p>\n
It took Tajikistan just nine minutes to open the scoring with Amadoni Kamalov, who scored a brace, tapping in a rebound after a shot by Parvizchon Umarbayev was guided onto the post by goalkeeper Yousuf Butt.<\/p>\n
Petar Segrt\u2019s side made it 2-0 four minutes later when Rustam Soirov\u2019s long-range effort got the slightest of deflections and left Yousuf with no chance.<\/p>\n
It was then that Pakistan had their brightest moment of the afternoon, Rahis Nabi\u2019s letting fly with his left foot and finding the top corner in the 21st to send the home crowd into raptures.<\/p>\n
The joy, however, was short-lived as Umarbayev restored Tajikistan\u2019s two-goal advantage five minutes later and Ehson Panjshanbe added their fourth with a first-time shot in the 45th as the visitors exploited the gaps in Pakistan\u2019s midfield and defensive lines.<\/p>\n
Pakistan were missing first-choice right-back Umar Hayat as well as left-back Shayek Dost due to suspension and debutant Mohibullah Afridi had a torrid time covering for Umar.<\/p>\n
Constantine attempted to strengthen the midfield at half-time, bringing on Rajab Ali for Harun Hamid, the man who scored the winner for Pakistan in their famous victory over Cambodia in the first qualifying round.<\/p>\n
He made another double switch past the hour mark but Tajikistan soon extended their advantage when Kamalov got his second, firing in from the edge of the area. The misery was complete when Shahrom Samiev netted a rebound in the last minute of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a learning curve for us,\u201d Constantine said, admitting that Pakistan\u2019s lack of domestic football structure was hurting players\u2019 growth as they didn\u2019t have consistent competition. \u201cWe\u2019ll try to do better against Jordan in the next round of games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pakistan face Jordan home and away in the next round of matches in March next year. Jordan, who drew 1-1 with Tajikistan in their opening match, were facing Saudi Arabia in Amman later on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Agencies add: Elsewhere on Tuesday, Palestinian flags and the black-and-white keffiyeh scarf flew high in Kuwait\u2019s Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium as football fans vented their emotions in their Group \u2018I\u2019 qualifier against Australia.<\/p>\n
Thousands of Palestinians and their sympathisers turned out at the 60,000-seat venue for the game, Palestine\u2019s first in front of fans since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.<\/p>\n
Defender Harry Souttar\u2019s 18th-minute goal was all that separated the teams in a 1-0 win for Australia where the action on the pitch was almost incidental.<\/p>\n
Australia opened with a 7-0 thrashing of Bangladesh and top the section with Bangladesh and Lebanon sharing a 1-1 draw in the group\u2019s other game in Dhaka.<\/p>\n
South Korea also made it two victories from two after skipper Son Heung-min scored a brace and set up the other in a 3-0 win in China.<\/p>\n
Son silenced a sell-out crowd of more than 40,000 in Shenzhen with two goals in the first half, the first a penalty and the second a clever header from a corner just before half-time.<\/p>\n
South Korea, who thumped Singapore 5-0 last week to begin their qualifying campaign in style, wrapped the game up in the dying minutes through a bullet header by Jung Seung-hyun \u2014 from a Son free-kick \u2014 and they top Group \u2018C\u2019 with a perfect six points while it was China\u2019s first defeat after winning against Thailand on Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Stephen Constantine had admitted Pakistan were the underdogs but the head coach was baffled by the way his charges crumbled against Tajikistan on Tuesday. The 61-year-old had just overseen his side being overrun in a 6-1 thrashing in their second Group \u2018G\u2019 match in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 FIFA […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-369775","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n