ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s men’s football team coach Stephen Constantine acknowledged on Thursday Saudi Arabia is among some of the best sides in the world but vowed that his team would fight till the last minute as Pakistan seek to redeem themselves after four consecutive defeats in FIFA qualifiers.
Pakistan will face Saudi Arabia at Islamabad’s Jinnah Football Stadium on June 6. Saudi Arabia thumped them 4-0 in the first leg of the World Cup qualifying fixtures when the two Group G sides faced each other last November in Al Ahsa city. Within the next few days, Pakistan suffered a second defeat as Tajikistan cruise to 6-1 win.
The June 6 fixture against Saudi Arabia will be Pakistan’s last home match for the FIFA World Cup qualifying round.
“We are going to fight them from the first minute to the last minute because that’s what we do,” the Pakistani coach told Arab News on the sidelines of one of the practice sessions in Islamabad. “We have to fight. We have to be physical, and we have to try to keep the goals to the minimum.”
Pakistani midfielder Rahis Nabi, one of the diaspora players from Birmingham, United Kingdom, said he was optimistic to win the match against Saudi Arabia, who shocked the world by defeating Argentina 2-1 in their group stage match during the World Cup in Qatar.
“Every game is new now at the beginning,” the 25-year-old player said. “We can win any game, just depends on how we play on the night, and I do believe we can get results.”
Asked about his experience of playing for Pakistan’s national team, Nabi lauded the local players for their hard work and passion for the sport.
“I think we learned many things from each other, but I would say local players learned to be more confident,” he said.
“Maybe they don’t have the confidence that we have by playing abroad,” he continued, adding it was important to tell these players that making mistakes was okay but they had to continue trying.
Pakistan will face Tajikistan on June 11 in what will be their final away fixture of round two.
A total of 36 football squads have been split into nine groups with four teams each in the second round of qualifiers.
The winners and runners-up from each group would go through to the third round.
After four losses, Pakistan eye redemption in FIFA qualifier against Saudi Arabia next week
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After four losses, Pakistan eye redemption in FIFA qualifier against Saudi Arabia next week
- Pakistan’s coach says players will fight till the last minute as they prepare for home fixture in Islamabad
- Last November, Saudi Arabia thrashed Pakistan 4-0 when the two teams faced each other in Al Ahsa city
Pakistan’s deputy PM discusses ways to boost economic, trade ties with Iran
- Both countries agreed in August to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2028
- Pakistan and Iran have been working to stabilize relations after strained security ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar presided over a meeting to discuss economic and trade cooperation with Iran, the foreign office said on Friday, as the neighboring countries seek to expand ties.
The development took place during an inter-ministerial meeting on Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations chaired by Dar in Islamabad. Pakistan and Iran have been working to stabilize ties following a period of strained security relations.
Both countries have been working to enhance bilateral trade, setting up border markets and exploring barter trade to circumvent banking and currency restrictions. Sanctions and foreign exchange shortages remain key hurdles for Iran, making these alternative systems central to its trade strategy with Pakistan.
“The meeting reviewed ongoing cooperation across a range of sectors and discussed ways to further enhance economic and trade ties,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“The DPM/FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening engagement with Iran in key priority areas.”
In December, the foreign ministers of Iran and Pakistan vowed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade and connectivity while working for regional peace.
Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian also visited Pakistan in August, during which both countries signed agreements to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2028.
