MALÉ, Maldives (Kashmir English): The Pakistan national football team made history on Wednesday by defeating Afghanistan in the final of the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament in Malé, Maldives.
In the final, Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by two goals to nil to become champions.
The landmark June 10 victory marks the country’s first standalone international tournament title in 74 years, ending a massive wait that dated back to 1952.
This triumph marks the country’s first-ever standalone international tournament trophy in their football history.
Pakistan secured the title with a dominant 2-0 win over regional rivals Afghanistan at the National Football Stadium.
Striker Shayek Dost opened the scoring with a spectacular overhead bicycle kick in the first half.
Midfielder Harun Hamid sealed the historic win with a late strike.
Under the guidance of head coach Nolberto Solano, the Shaheens remained completely undefeated throughout the four-nation tournament, which also included Bangladesh U23 and hosts Maldives.
Pakistan’s last major football tournament
Prior to this, Pakistan’s last major tournament title was the 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament. However, that trophy was decided on a round-robin league basis and shared jointly with India.
The national team has won an international football tournament title after 74 years. Pakistan last reached the final of the Merdeka Cup in 1962.
In the group stage, the national team defeated host Maldives and Afghanistan, while the match against Bangladesh ended in a draw.
