https://arab.news/63dp5
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Twitter on Friday heaped praises Maria Khan, the national side's football captain, for her flawless free-kick equalizer that helped Pakistan secure a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan finished runners-up on Thursday in the Women’s International Friendly Tournament. The four-nation tournament, featuring Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Mauritius and Comoros, was played in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia won the tournament after remaining undefeated while second-placed Pakistan were declared runners-up after the draw.
After starting the tournament on a high note by beating Comoros 1-0 on January 11, Pakistan tasted defeat at the hands of Comoros 2-1 before drawing against Saudi Arabia 1-1 on Thursday.
In Thursday's match, Saudi Arabia got the 1-1 lead after Albandari Mubarak netted the first goal of the match in the 29th minute. The first half ended with Saudi Arabia leading 1-0 against Pakistan. However, in the 65th minute of the second half, Khan outdid the Saudi goalkeeper by scoring a goal from a free-kick from a considerable distance.
The video clip of Khan's free kick went viral on social media, with several people congratulating the Pakistani skipper and lavishing praise on her football skills.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Saudi Arabia for winning the tournament and in a Twitter post, described Khan's goal as a "spectacular" one. "We are working on policy to promote football and women's sports in Pakistanm," he added.
Football Pakistan shared the crowd's reaction to Khan's "insane" free kick that leveled scores with Saudi Arabia.
Former Pakistani cricketer and commentator Urooj Mumtaz termed the goal "spectacular."
International squash player Noorena Shams was also praises for Khan. "Maria Jamila Khan for you!!!" she wrote on Twitter, sharing the free kick video as well.
Babar Khan Niazi called her as the "new GOAT (greatest of all time) in women's football.
Ex-Pakistan cricket captain and former wicketkeeper Rashid Latif also shared the video of Khan's goal from his Twitter account.
Khan, with her team, arrived back in Pakistan on Friday afternoon. She is the granddaughter of Pakistani squash legend Hashim Khan and the niece of Jahangir Khan, arguably the greatest squash player produced by Pakistan to date.