Lahore, 25 March: Pakistan slammed once in each session to beat Chinese Taipei 2-0 in the fourth AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers (Group-B) on Friday at MBJP Stadium, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. It was third and final match for both teams.
It was bad day for keeper Chung Kuang Tien who conceded a goal in both half while Amir Gul came out with clean sheet from the field. Pakistan gained full three points to finish third in the Group WAPDA’s striker Arif Mehmood, who finished top scorer in six of the last six PPFL, opened the scoring in the 26th minute. Samar-led Pakistan led 1-0 at interval and doubled the margin in the through Berlin-born Atif Bashir Qureshi who beat Tien all ends up in the 67th minute.
Earlier, honour were even between India and Turkmenistan as the two sides that advanced from Group B rounded off their qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw. All that remained was who would claim top-of-the-table bragging rights and it was Turkmenistan who took the initiative with Gahrymanberdi Chonkayev putting the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup runners-up one-up with a 52nd minute penalty.
However, Indian Arrows striker Jeje Lalpekhula continued his rich vein of goal scoring form when he equalised on the hour mark with his fourth of the competition. The 20-year-old’s tally proved a decisive factor in India finishing top of the table, with the number of goals scored needed to separate the two sides after India and Turkmenistan not only drew at the MBPJ Stadium but finished their respective campaigns with an identical goal difference.
The two teams were.
Pakistan :
Goalkeepers: Amir Gul (NBP), Muhammad Omar (KESC)
Defenders: Manzoor Ahmed (WAPDA), Alamgir Khan (Police), Atif Bashir Qureshi (Barry Town, Wales), Samar Ishaq (KRL) CAP, Zeeshan Rehman (Muangthong United FC, Thailand),
Midfielders: Faisal Iqbal (NBP), Syed Arif Hussain (WAPDA), Muhammad Adil (KRL), Mahmood Khan (KRL), Kashif Mumtaz Siddiqui (Fresno Fuego, USA), Abdul Aziz (NBP) VC, Nasr Ullah Khan (PIA), Adnan Farooq Ahmed (Aboomoslem FC, Iran),
Strikers : Jadeed Khan Pathan (WAPDA), Rizwan Asif (KRL), Kalim Ullah (KRL), Imran Niazi (WAPDA), Arif Mehmood (WAPDA), Muhammad Qasim (KRL).
Coach : Tariq Lutfi
Chinese Taipei :
Goal keepers: Kuang-Tien Chung, Chih-Hsin Tsai, Po-Cheng Lin
Defenders: Shan-Fu Chen,Yung-Hsien Chang, Cheng-Yi Lin, Yu-Lin Chen, Yi-Wei Chen, Chao-Hsun Yang
Mid fielders: Hsien-Tang Tsai, Che-Yuan chan, Chih-An Lo, Po-Liang Chen ©, Ming-Han Chiang, Kai-Chun Hung, Chi-Chao Liu, Cheng-Tsung Huang, Tzu-Jung Huang, Wu Pai-Ho
Strikers: Han Chang, Chih-En Lo, Chun-Ching Wu, Chen Po-Hao
Coach : Chih-Tsung Lo
Match Commissioner: Arifov Alim (Uzbekistan)
Referee Inspector Yazbeck Yazbeck (Lebanon)
Referee : Mohammad Salem Abdallah Alrshaidat (Jordan)
Assistant Referees :Alinezhadian Saeid (Iran), Waleed Abdelrahman A. Abuhashish (Jordan)
4th Official: Akbar Bakhshi Zadeh (I.R. Iran)