Welcome to this exclusive live update thread of the Bangladesh vs Pakistan, 2014 FIFA World Cup AFC qualifiers Round One, 2nd Leg being held at Punjab Stadium in Lahore today on 3rd July 2011.
Kick-off time is 8:30 PM PST (GMT+5) with PTV National showing the game live on television across Pakistan (if you are lucky enough to get it!).
As a result, there are NO STREAMS AVAILABLE to view the game, unless Bangladeshi channels also cover the game and stream it live!
We will attempt to update all of you fans by live text updates through our facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/footballpakistan as our staff members are present inside Punjab Stadium!
Pakistan are in desperate need to win this game by at least 4 goals after losing 0-3 to Bangladesh in their rain-ravaged 1st leg loss on 29 June in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. The task seems extremely daunting but never say never in football.
Squads:
Pakistan: Jaffer Khan (captain), Jehangir Khan, Mohamamd Omar, Samar Ishaq, Alamgir Khan, Kamran Khan, Mohammad Ahmad, Atif Bashir, Faisal Iqbal (vice-captain), Manzoor Ahmad, Arif Hussain, Kaleemullah, Mehmood Khan, Hasnain Abbas, Ahmad Akbar Khan, Arif Mehmood, Mohammad Qasim, Mohammad Ikram, Mohammad Rasool, Adnan Farooq,
Bangladesh: Biplob Bhattacharaje (captain), Nasirul Islam Nasir, Ariful Islam, Attiqur Rahman Meshu, Zahid Hossain, Mamunul Islam, Mithun Chowdhury, Jahid Hussain, Shakil Ahmed, Abdul Baten Mojumder Komal, Youuf Ali Khan, Noman Khan Raju, Mohammad Shakawat Hossain Rony, Yousuf Linkon, Yameen Ahmed, Chaudhry Munna, Mamun Khan, MD Nehal, Razul Karim
Pak line-up:
Jaffar Khan (GK, Capt);
Faisal Iqbal (VC), Samar Ishaq, Manzoor Ahmed, M Ahmed;
Hussnain Abbas, Adnan Ahmed, Atif Bashir, M Qasim;
Arif Mehmood, M Rasool
Match has begun!
5′: Pak pressing strongly in opening minutes, with WAPDA striker Arif ‘Arifi’ Mehmood being flagged for offside!
Pakistan must score early if they have any chance of overcoming the massive deficit!
8′: Bangladesh playing it cool in defence, and pressuring Pakistan on the left flank with some counter-attacking football.
10′: Pakistan gets two great chances to score in quick succession. Adnan Ahmed unable to utilise being clean through on goal, and moments later Arifi shoots just wide.
13′: Atif “Bulldozer” Bashir tearing apart the Bangla midfield with some strong tackles in centre. M Ahmed charged up as left-back, with a Bangla player booked for time wasting!
20′: Bangladesh making mistakes in their half and conceding freekicks. KESC striker Muhammad Rasool wastes a 25 yard free-kick, only for Bangladesh to again concede a free kick one minute later, which again comes to nothing for Pakistan.
It remains 0-0. Bangladesh playing a cautious 4-4-1-1 formation with Pakistan attempting an aggressive 4-4-2.
21′: Atif Bashir just misses the target with an audacious over-head kick!!!
28′: Arifi and Rasool waste a corner as Pakistan still try to get a goal after nearly half an hour played!
30′: Jaffar Khan seems determined. Takes a great catch from a Bangladeshi corner from left side.
33′: Injury for Muhammad Qasim as he is taken off and replaced by fellow KRL team mate (and hate figure) Kaleem Ullah!
Punjab Stadium’s general enclosures are packing with fans! The VVIP enclosure more or less empty.
43′: Husnain Abbas misses a free header. Misfiring up front once again! Strikers waste another opportunity a minute later
Half Time: it remains 0-0. Pakistan pressing hard but fail to find the target with a nervy Bangladesh looking content with defending in numbers.
Word has it that Tariq Lutfi may resign from national team coach post after the game if Pakistan fail to win.
Former KESC goalkeeper Muhammad Omer (now of NBP) returns to Pak team and is on bench after injury lay-off. But changing keepers would be disastrous for Pakistan!
2nd half begins!
45′: Faisal Iqbal tries to beat 4 players but is tackled well by Bangla defenders.
46′: Adnan Ahmed’s 25 yard blast just goes inches wide!!! Would have been the goal Pakistan were desperately hoping for but alas…
48′: Atif “Bulldozer” Bashir once again being the best Pak player in the game! jumps nearly 4 FEET in air to clear a header from 35 yards out! Fans loving him!
Kaleem Ullah still clueless like in his 14 previous international youth/senior games! wasting ball after ball after ball!!!
50′: Hasnain Abbas’ 45 yard lob nearly beats Bangla keeper Biplob Bhattacharaje! still agonisingly 0-0!
54′: Bangladesh almost get a chance to score!!! Some weird defending by Samar and Manzoor and Jaffar Khan’s hesitancy to come off his line almost ends the game for Pakistan!
Kaleem Ullah continues being out of sorts on the pitch. Very poor! Cannot even get a pass right!
60′: Samar Ishaq’s cross to Arif Mehmood punched away by Bangla keeper. Arifi was unmarked! Good goalkeeping by Biplob!
63′: A very good set piece by M Rasool but no heads to meet it at the end to put the ball in back of Bangla net! Another chance goes begging!
Bangladesh are looking good to avoid defeat and go through to meet Lebanon in Round Two!
70′: 0-0 it remains. Pakistan running out of steam. Bangladesh playing it safe. M Rasool subbed off, cannot yet identify who came on for him (#19).
73′: and some how Kaleem Ullah again gets involved in messing up a Pak chance! Samar Ishaq’s 25 yard free kick gets deflected away for a Bangla goalkick after it hits Kaleem Ullah’s foot!
77′: Adnan Ahmed has not had a good game with lack of support from his wingers and strikers. Hasnain Abbas blasts every chance he gets wide…Sydney native Ahmed Akber Khan comes on for Arif Mehmood….
81′: Bangladesh playing it easy. They know they are less than 10 minutes away from confirming their place in next round. Pakistan chasing the game but losing morale as minutes tick by
Atif Bashir being the only bright spot for Pakistan! Surely another man of the match for him!
85′: Pakistan resort to long-ball, and Bangladesh more than happy to deal with them…
0-0 it remains at Punjab Stadium in Lahore. Bangladesh lead a comfortable 3-0 on aggregate as they have less than five minutes left before going through to meet Lebanon in Round Two!
Bangladesh absorbed early pressure and eventually got well stuck in the game to keep Pakistan chasing the game as time runs out.
90′: 3 minutes of stoppage time. 3 minutes for Bangladesh to ease away and go through happy. 3 minutes before we could say bye bye to Lutfi & Co.
Fans leaving the ground. Cant blame them. Bangladesh counting down the final seconds!
FULL TIME: Pakistan held 0-0 by Bangladesh. Bangladesh go through to next round 3-0 on aggregate. Worthy over-all winners.
Time for Tariq Lutfi, Nasir Ismail, Gohar Zaman etc to pack up and leave! Their coaching reign has been nothing but a disaster! Failure in Olympic qualifiers, failure in AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, failure in World Cup qualifers! EPIC FAIL!
Make no mistake. Bangladesh were worthy deserving winners. Got 3 vital goals in 1st leg, and stuck to a game plain in Lahore to avoid conceding. All the best to Bangladesh in next round!
WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE IN OUR COVERAGE BECAUSE OF FREQUENT WEBSITE CRASHES!
WE DID OUR BEST!
HOPE OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS FROM BANGLADESH CELEBRATE PROGRESS TO NEXT ROUND!
All the best to them!
Good night, Shab ba khair, khuda hafiz…and a JOY BANGLA to our Bangladeshi visitors!