Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Pakistan began their 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers Group B campaign with style at the Dolen Omuzakov Stadium with an emphatic 3-1 win over Cambodia.
A balanced start to the match saw Pakistan’s Samar Razzaq and Reaksa Mout of Cambodia doing well in dealing with shots from distance.
The match burst into life in the 35th minute when a long diagonal ball to the left found Abdul Samad, who dribbled past Ly Yonphumea before squaring for Muhammad Abdullah to tap in.
Cambodia equalised four minutes later through Pimakrav Pov’s penalty after Shahid Anjum was judged to have fouled Hanafi El.
Pakistan increased their tempo in the second half with Hamza Yasir’s shot from an acute angle saved by Mout in the 51st minute.
The South Asian were denied again in the 65th minute when Khat Vatta produced an acrobatic goalline clearance to stop Abdullah’s looping header from going in.
Cambodia’s resilience was eventually broken six minutes later when Yasir’s cross from the right was nodded in by captain Samad at the back post.
Pakistan’s win was sealed in stoppage time, thanks to a wonderful Yasir volley from inside the semi-circle that flew into the top corner.
In earlier Group B fixtures, Yemen beat group hosts hosts Kyrgyzstan 2-0 while Laos overcame Guam 8-0.
Additional reporting from the-afc.com
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