After waiting for decades for a big international trophy, Pakistan had a historic victory against Afghanistan in the final of the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament on Wednesday when they beat them 2-0.
The win brought Pakistan their first senior international final win since South Asian Games in 1991 and their first outright international tournament title since the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament in 1952.
The achievement was an end of an impressive unbeaten campaign and highlighted the growing progress of the national team on the international stage.
Forward Shayak Dost through a fantastic bicycle kick scored the first goal and put Pakistan ahead in the 23rd minute.
Afghanistan showed some attacking intent and tried to put pressure but Pakistan’s defence was well organised and disciplined enough to keep the lead intact till half-time.
In the second half, Afghanistan tried to score an equaliser aggressively, but failed to find any opportunity.
Pakistan’s backline, however, was strong and successfully neutralised their opponents all throughout the game.
However, the game went into stoppage time and Pakistan still led by a narrow margin, before Harun Hamid came up with a spectacular finish to the game.
The forward went on a brilliant solo before finishing with a calm finish to make it 2-0 and make Pakistan the champions of the tournament.
The Pakistan side’s tournament was phenomenal which included a 3-0 win against Maldives, after a wait of 35 years to finally win against the island nation and after two years of losing to international opponents.
The Green Shirts also beat Afghanistan in the group stage, but their opener was tied with Bangladesh
With the victory, Pakistan has achieved one of its greatest results in football history for the country, and it brought a much-needed smile to Pakistani football fans.
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