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Pakistan stun India with a solitary goal win
India's quest for their third consecutive title received a major jolt as they went down to arch rivals Pakistan by a solitary goal in their inaugural match of t
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 08:48 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Dhaka:
India's quest for their third consecutive title received a major jolt as they went down to arch rivals Pakistan by a solitary goal in their inaugural match of the SAFF football tournament here today. Pakistan's Sarfaraz Rasool struck the match winner early in the second session to seal the fate of the Indians who had themselves to blame for the debacle in a fast-paced and surcharged pool-A encounter at the Bangabandhu National stadium. The Indians, determined to reaffirm their supremacy in the region, appeared to be in disarray as the spirited Pakistanis repeatedly broke through their defence with a series of attacks from both the flanks. The all-important goal came in the 50th minute of the contest when the hard-working Sarfaraz Rasool capitalised on a Qadeer Ahmed's cross from the right flank to beat the Indian custodian. The win was Pakistan's first against India since the 1-0 triumph in the 1995 SAFF meet in Colombo. Handicapped by the injury-induced absence of four key players, including star striker Baichung Bhutia, the defending champions were a pale shadow of themselves and were guilty of muffing a couple of gilt-edged opportunities that came their way. Veteran striker I M Vijayan got an opportunity to fetch the equaliser in the 70th minute but he shot wide from inside the box with none of the defenders in position. (PTI)Topics mentioned in this article
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