ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia snatched a last-gasp win over Pakistan in the Women’s International Friendly Tournament late Sunday, beating the South Asian side 1-0 to end their hopes of reaching the semifinals of the six-nation tournament.
Pakistan locked horns with Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd Stadium in Taif city for a friendly match of the tournament, which also features Bhutan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Bhutan. Pakistan’s defeat at the hands of hosts Saudi Arabia came after the South Asian side held Malaysia to a goalless draw in their first fixture of the tournament on Thursday.
“Pakistan lose 1-0 to hosts Saudi Arabia,” the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said in a statement. “The national team is out of the race for the semifinals.”
In what was a close contest, Pakistan held Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw till the 95th minute before Saudi forward Al-Bandari Hawsawi made use of an impressive through ball to net the ball past the Pakistani goalkeeper.
Prior to this tournament, Pakistan women’s football team traveled to Saudi Arabia in January this year to participate in a four-nation tournament that also featured Comoros and Mauritius. The South Asian side beat Comoros before losing to Mauritius 2-1 but ended the tournament on an impressive note, drawing 1-1 against a formidable Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom ended up winning the tournament.
