Shahrukh Sohail, Chief Editor, Kathmandu
Pakistan managed to keep Nepal at bay for the majority of the ninety minutes with Hassan Bashir’s 13th minute goal looking like the winner. But 15-year-old Bimal Magar broke Pakistani hearts as he netted an injury time winner to secure a point for the hosts.
Clearly, coach Shahzad Anwar was heart-broken with the result and could only manage a few words during the post-match conference.
“Nepal played well. They had the home crowd advantage and Bimal came on to make the difference,” he said.
“We cannot say doubt our defence, we have a very solid defence and they played during the game. But in the end there were too many crosses and we just missed one,” he concluded with a heavy heart.
Pakistan’s future now depends on their result against Bangladesh and also on the India-Nepal, in which a win for either side will help the Pak Shaheens’ chances.