BISHKEK (Kyrgyzstan): Pakistan suffered yet another defeat in the Under-17 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers against Yemen as the national team lost 5-1 in their Group ‘B’ match on Friday.
Yemen — who are undefeated in the qualifiers so far — dominated the match from the outset.
Sailan Basheer opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 18th minute. Pakistan’s defence crumbled further as a mere minute later, an Ali Shafiq effort rebounded off the crossbar, hit goalkeeper Samar Razzaq and tragically crossed the line for an own goal.
Yemen’s relentless attack continued with Abdulrahman Alqufaili setting up Fahd Salah for a simple finish in the 25th minute. Salah was on target again in the 69th minute, skillfully scoring from a tight angle.
Pakistan managed a brief moment of respite when Mansoor Ahmad netted a consolation goal just two minutes later. However, Yemen completed the rout when Basheer secured his brace and the West Asians fifth goal in the 82nd minute, capping a difficult night for the Pakistani side.
The result leaves Pakistan with a significant challenge to advance in the tournament. Pakistan started their campaign with a win against Kyrgyzstan on Monday but lost to Laos two days later.
In the group’s other matches, Cambodia secured their first win by defeating Guam 5-1. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan edged past Laos in a dramatic 3-2 thriller, decided by a last-gasp own goal in stoppage time.
Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2025
