Saudi Arabia men’s football team defeated Pakistan 4-0 to open their account in the 2nd round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. It was a dismal performance from Pakistan, as there is a huge imbalance in the skill of both teams. Saudi is ranked 57th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Pakistan is 193rd. Individual defensive errors led to goals at the start of both halves, as well as stoppage time goals in the 91st and 96th minute.
Player Ratings
Yousaf Butt (7/10)
The Pakistani shot-stopper had a busy day as Saudi Arabia hit 8 shots on target. Butt did a brilliant double-save when he parried a first-hit stop but then had to save a rebound which he successfully did. Although he conceded 4 goals, he saved the score line from reaching disastrous numbers.
Umer Hayat (4.5/10)
Right-back Umer Hayat received a yellow card in the 52nd minute of the game after a rash sliding tackle. Another reckless sliding tackle enabled Saudi to score a 4th goal in the 96th minute. It wasn’t a good game for him.
Mamoon Khan (3.5/10)
Probably the weakest link out of the back four. He conceded a penalty at the start of the second half after hugging the opposition player inside the penalty box. His positioning while defending for the 4th goal was also questionable.
Abdullah Iqbal (6/10)
Abdullah was missing his first-choice center-back pair. His performance was better than the rest of the defensive unit.
Junaid Shah (4.5/10)
The left-back made a mistake which led to Saudi scoring the 3rd goal during stoppage time. He felt out-of-sorts during the 90 minutes.
Shayak Dost (5.5/10)
Shayak started off energetically, but he was subbed off at half-time to bring in Cambodia match scorer Harun Hamid.
Rahis Nabi (6.5/10)
Having scored a goal in the Cyprus league this past weekend, he couldn’t translate that performance to the match against Saudi Arabia. He made some good plays yesterday.
Alamgir Ghazi (6/10)
A defensive mistake of his led to the first goal within 7 minutes. Due to the low possession stats, Alamgir didn’t get to show his ball-playing skills.
Abdul Samad (7.5/10)
Probably the most impressive performance out of the lot. He assisted the closest chance Pakistan had to score a goal, when he crossed towards the head of Fareed Ullah, but he couldn’t score.
Fareed Ullah (5.5/10)
He got the closest chance to score a goal when Samad passed to him in the first chance. Except for that chance, he was pretty non-existent.
Otis Khan (6.5/10)
Captain of the side made some good runs, but he couldn’t produce a goal. He can perform better against Tajikistan when Pakistan has more possession.
Substitutes:
Harun Hamid (5.5/10)
Came on at half-time in the place of Shayak Dost. Couldn’t produce a performance similar to the 2nd leg against Cambodia.
Imran Kayani (5/10)
A debut for the England-born forward. He didn’t impress as he played a few inaccurate passes which led to possession losses.
Rajab Ali Hazara (5/10)
Rajab couldn’t have an influence on the game as Pakistan was trailing by two goals when he was subbed on. Pakistan further conceded twice in the last few minutes.
Ali Uzair (5/10)
Similar to Rajab, he didn’t get sufficient minutes on the ball as he came on for the last 10-odd minutes.
Next Match:
Pakistan play Tajikistan in the next match of the 2nd round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The match will take place in Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad on 21st November 2023, 2 PM (Pakistan time).
Book your tickets through bookme.pk
Someone who has never played an international match is judging? Pathetic