Pakistan Football team showcased resilience against Asian Cup finalists Jordan as they remained defiant throughout the 90 minutes in the third match of Group G in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Round 2.
It was a game where Pakistan’s thrashing was expected but they remained solid in defence and were much more organized than they were against Tajikistan during their 6-1 defeat in the last match.
Although Jordan defeated Pakistan by a 3-0 scoreline at the Jinnah Stadium, Stephen Constantine’s men showed why the result was a testament to a great performance.
Shaheens were given a poignant reminder why they were 195th in the world. Two goals were scored in the space of 10 minutes where the first freekick was conceded by Muhammad Saddam Jr. and Al Tamari scored a ballistic freekick to draw the first blood in the match.
The second goal was scored by Jordan in the 9th minute as Ali Iyad Olwan coverted a penalty kick which was conceded by Rao Umar Hayat. From there it seemed like it was going to be a tough day in Jinnah Stadium for Stephen Constantine’s men, but his ‘double decker’ bus became effective in front of the goal as the players maintained their structure.
Two boys from Popo FC Muhammad Saddam Junior and Adeel Younus made their full debuts in the match considering the injuries in the squad. They held their own against Asian Cup finalists and showcased their talent on the field.
While addressing the press conference Stephen Constantine seemed jubilated with the performance of his players and said, “Today, I am happy with the performance of each and every player in this match.”
Al Tamari then completed his brace after a brilliant move which was eventually deflected off Easah Suliman to make it 3-0 but the highlight of the moment was Yousuf Butt’s mercurial save against Al Tamari from the spot.
The fans also gave a great response by showing up in palpable numbers as the official record was 9,625 at the end of the match.
Here are the player ratings for the Shaheens:
| Name | Rating |
| Yousuf Butt | 8 |
| Rao Umer Hayat | 7 |
| Abdullah Iqbal | 7 |
| Saddam Junior | 8 |
| Alamgir Ghazi | 7 |
| Rahis Nabi | 6 |
| Shayek Dost | 5 |
| Abdul Samad | 5 |
| Fareed Ullah | 8 |
| Easah Suliman | 7 |
| Adeel Younus | 7.5 |
These ratings are in relavent to the quality of the opponent