PHONEM PENH (Kashmir English): Pakistan faced a devastating defeat 8-1 from Iraq (Pak vs Iraq U23) in the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers opener at the Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, in Cambodia on Wednesday.
Ali Jasim starred from Iraq as he scored a hat-trick to outclass Green Shirts, while McKeal Abdullah scored the only goal for Pakistan on a penalty.
Amoori Faisal opened the account for Iraq and successfully converted a 33rd-minute penalty to a goal. The scoreline remained intact at 1-0 until half-time.
Just three minutes into the second half, Ali Jasim netted his first goal to double Iraq’s lead. While Pakistan managed to strike back with McKeal Abdullah successfully converted the penalty.
Full Time 🇮🇶 8 – 1 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/5BAs8sKe0r
— Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) September 3, 2025
After that, Iraq dominated the field with back-to-back goals, with Jasim netting more goals, taking the lead to 4–1.
A. Aiad, Dhulfiqar Younis Al-Imari, and Ali Sadiq all added late goals, taking the scoreboard to a humiliating 8–1 for the Men in Green.
The match resulted in the top position of Iraq in Group G with three points and a goal difference of seven, while Pakistan succumbed to the bottom.
The Green Shirts’ next face hosts Cambodia on September 6 before wrapping up their group stage campaign against Chinese Taipei on September 9.
It is worth noting that only the group winners and four second-placed teams will qualify for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026, scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia.
