Istafa Ali
In a first for Pakistan women’s football, Zahmena Malik’s goal helped the Green Shirts defeat Tajikistan 1-0 on Tuesday as they advanced to the AFC Olympic Qualifiers. It was the team’s first-ever competitive victory.
In the first round of the qualifications for the Paris Olympics in 2024, Pakistan placed third in Group E.
OUR FIRST EVER GOAL IN AN OLYMPIC QUALIFIER CAMPAIGN! ⚽️
Brilliant work from Amina Hanif to release Zahmena Malik who slotted the ball home with relative ease 🧨#wearepakistanfootball #dilsayfootball #womensfootball #olympicqualifiers pic.twitter.com/36c0A5LgJH
— Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) April 11, 2023
Prior to it, Pakistan women’s football team lost their first match 4-0 to the Philippines before losing their second match 2-0 to Hong Kong.
The Philippines advanced as group champions to the next round after winning all three games.
Star striker Nadia Khan was unavailable for Pakistan owing to an ACL injury that prevented her from competing.
The group stage’s second and third games were also missed by captain Maria Khan because of an injury.
Full Time. HISTORY MADE! 🏆
We get our first ever win in an Olympic Qualifier campaign. Zahmena Malik with the only goal of the game in the 24th minute! ⚽️
Onwards and Upwards. Pakistan Zindabad 🇵🇰#wearepakistanfootball #dilsayfootball #womensfootball #olympicqualifiers pic.twitter.com/zRCSTbR73J
— Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) April 11, 2023
On April 2, the 22-member national team and coaching staff flew from Dubai, where the group participated in a quick training camp and played matches against regional clubs.
During the first round of qualification, seven groups include a total of 26 teams.
The five top-seeded teams — DPR Korea, Japan, Australia, China PR, and Korea Republic — will join the winners of each group in this tournament’s second round, it should be emphasised.
In the third round, four teams from the second round—three group winners and the top-ranked runners-up—play two sets of home and away games, with the two ultimate winners advancing to the Women’s Olympic football competition in Paris in 2024.
Mahira Khan and Sheheryar Munawar’s witty banter leaves fans in fits
Pakistan placed second in the four-nation cup in Saudi Arabia in January of this year.
Pakistan defeated Comoros in their first meeting, winning 1-0, but lost to Mauritius in their second meeting, losing 2-1. Their last encounter with Saudi Arabia’s domestic team resulted in a 1-1 tie.
