- Advertisement -
ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (APP): Pakistan conceded a 1-6 defeat at the hands of Tajikistan in the second round match of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Jinnah Stadium here on Tuesday.
Tajikistan got off to a flying start as Kamolov scored first goal for them on the rebound in the 9th minute.
They doubled their lead in the 14th minute when Soirov scored a stunning goal.
Pakistan reduced the lead in the 21st minute, with Rahis Nabi scoring a superb left foot goal.
But Pakistan were shocked by another Tajikistan attack in the 26th minute when Umerbaev scored a spectacular outside-the-box goal.
Tajikistan continued their dominance in the second half as Pandzsanbe steamed in from the left wing, shooting past Yousuf Butt to score 4th goal for them.
Then Amadoni Kamalov scored a screamer from outside the box in the 65th minute. Pakistan conceded one more in the dying moments of the match.
This was Pakistan’s second consecutive defeat as they suffered their first setback in the opener of the second round against Saudi Arabia last week.
Pakistan made it to the second round for the first time, trouncing Cambodia 1-0 in the World Cup qualifiers last month and ending their 13-match losing streak dating back to 2018.