DUSHANBE: Pakistan’s women’s football team made history on Tuesday by winning their first-ever competitive fixture in the Olympic Qualifiers.
Zahmena Malik’s goal secured the victory for Pakistan, as they beat Tajikistan 1-0 in the AFC Olympic Qualifiers. Pakistan finished third in Group E of round one of the qualifiers for the Paris Olympics 2024.
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
Unfortunately, Pakistan lost their first match against the Philippines 4-0 before being defeated by Hong Kong 2-0 in their second encounter. The Philippines progressed as group winners to the next round.
Pakistan’s star striker Nadia Khan was ruled out of the tournament due to an ACL injury, while captain Maria Khan missed the second and third matches of the group stage due to injury.
The 22-member national team and coaching staff arrived in Tajikistan from Dubai, where they held a brief training camp and played matches against local clubs, on April 2. A total of 26 teams have been divided into seven groups for the first round of qualifying.
