KARACHI: Abdul Samad, the captain of Pakistan’s Under-16 football team, still remembers the moment he asked his coach to let him play as a striker. One minute later, he was celebrating a goal.
“We were 4-0 down against Kazakhstan, trying our level best to get a goal but it was just not coming,” Samad told Dawn. “I asked the coach to play as a striker, and one minute later I received a cross from the right. I positioned myself and headed the ball home.”
It was a bullet header, the kind that etches itself into memory. But Samad did not celebrate wildly. “I wasn’t very excited considering we had already conceded four goals,” he said. His coach, Mohammad Essa, was delighted. But for the 16-year-old from Swat, the moment was bittersweet.
That goal — one of only two Pakistan scored in the tournament — came in a 4-1 loss to hosts Kazakhstan. Two more defeats followed: 2-1 to Russia and 1-0 to Azerbaijan. Pakistan finished bottom of their group. Yet for a team making its first appearance in a UEFA competition, the scoreline tells only half the story.
This was the first time a Pakistan side had ever played in a European tournament. For the players, many of whom had grown up watching European football on screens, stepping onto the pitch in Shymkent was a kind of arrival.
“You know, this was the first time a Pakistan team participated in a European competition,” Essa, a former national team captain himself, told Dawn. “The players really wanted to play nations outside of South Asia. We need to test ourselves against strong opponents to improve our game. Playing better opponents not only improves your game but also your confidence.”
The tournament was not just about results. It was about exposure, about measuring themselves against teams from completely different football cultures. And by that measure, Essa believes the mission was accomplished.
But the experience also laid bare the vast gap between what Pakistan’s young footballers have and what their counterparts in other nations take for granted.
‘Just to play is a task’
Samad, who plays for Islamabad-based Popo FC, was overwhelmed by what he saw in Kazakhstan.
“The grounds, the facilities and the level of coaching assistance they have there is very professional,” he said.
Then he contrasted it with home.
“In Pakistan, just to be able to play is a task. We don’t even have grounds to play in. We have to plead to different people to give us a ground to play in. That is something we are lagging far behind in.”
He added: “We have a lot of self-belief. If we get facilities like that, we can improve massively.”
The facilities gap extended to the pitch itself. Pakistan received two red cards in three matches — a second yellow against Russia, and a straight red against Azerbaijan. Essa offered an interesting explanation.
“The pitches there are very levelled, soft and fast,” he said. “In Pakistan, the pitches are massively different. When you tackle here, you slide pretty slow. So when our players tackled, they were sometimes a bit late due to a developed habit. Our players weren’t used to playing on such a high-quality surface.”
Despite the three losses, Pakistan were competitive. The Russia match was level at 1-1 until the red card. Against Azerbaijan, they dominated long stretches but lost to a late counter-attack.
“The goal we conceded against Russia, their player tackled our defender from the back, which is always a foul,” Essa said. “But the referee let the play continue and we conceded a goal. Even the Russian coach said that some of the referee’s decisions went their way.”
Samad believes the team could have won both matches.
“I felt we could have won against Russia, but the defence made a mistake which cost us the match,” he said. “Against Azerbaijan, one of our main midfielders [Mohammad Essa] was suspended due to a red card in the earlier match, but we still created a lot of chances and just couldn’t finish. We really felt that we were better than Azerbaijan and would emerge victorious, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.”
Essa, meanwhile, had planned specifically for both opponents. Against Russia, he had studied their reliance on crosses and set up his defence accordingly. Against Azerbaijan, he opted for a high press to disrupt their build-up from the back.
“From what I had noted from Azerbaijan’s previous matches, they build up from the back,” Essa said. “So we decided to press them and were successful in it. We created many chances, but unfortunately we couldn’t convert them. They had one significant chance and they scored. We really wanted to record that win, but it was hard luck.”
Despite the results, Essa said he was satisfied with his players.
“We executed our plans well and the boys played brilliantly, displaying tremendous spirit,” he said. “Considering where our football is at the moment comparatively, I am very much satisfied with the performance.”
‘Hard to build in 15 days’
The squad was assembled through trials in Islamabad — four days of evaluations, followed by three friendlies between shortlisted players. From there, 20 players were selected for the tournament.
But 15 days, Essa said, was simply not enough.
“Due to very limited time, we only focused on tactics and strategy,” he said. “We couldn’t work particularly on individual players and their strengths or weaknesses. In only 15 days you cannot address all the aspects of the game, which has advanced so much. You cannot work on the physicality of players or strength. The best you can do is work on tactics or strategies, which aren’t enough at the top level.”
Samad agreed. “It’s hard to build a team in 15 days,” he said. “You need to conduct trials, select the team, then work on that team. It’s really hard to do all that effectively in such a short window.”
He called for more focus on strength and conditioning, and on high-level tactics.
“From what I have noticed from this experience, European teams implement a lot of tactics in their game,” Samad said. “Their players’ technique was very sound, and they were also very tactical. The interchanges they were having, and how their full-backs were pushing into central midfield areas — that was very fascinating. We need to work on that too.”
One thing Essa did praise was his players’ discipline and understanding of their roles.
“The boys played according to the plan that was given to them,” he said. “They didn’t lose their shape or go out of formation throughout the matches in the tournament. That was pleasantly surprising for me.”
That foundation, he believes, is something to build on. But the building requires time, resources, and regular competition.
“It’s pretty evident from the results that the talent is there, but you need to nurture them,” Essa said. “The players need to play properly in a league in their cities and districts to improve and be able to compete at the top level.”
He added: “If these boys receive proper facilities and regular exposure to top-level football, they have a bright future ahead. Hopefully we get more opportunities like these to play in UEFA competitions, as it’s great for the development of the boys and their overall exposure.”
Essa revealed that under Pakistan Football Federation president Syed Mohsen Gilani, more tournaments are already planned.
“There are plans to hold a U-17 championship,” he said. “There will also be a U-17 SAFF Championship, and there might be another European tour for the boys. So there will be ample opportunities for these boys to play.”
A captain’s inspiration
Samad follows French midfielder Desire Doue. His own journey began in Swat and has taken him to Popo FC in Islamabad and now to a UEFA tournament in Kazakhstan. He has seen what proper facilities look like. He has felt the difference in pitch surfaces, in coaching, in everything.
When asked what he wants for the next group of U-16 players who will follow in his footsteps, he did not hesitate.
“We have a lot of self-belief,” he said. “If we get facilities like that, we can improve massively.”
For now, he has his goal — that bullet header, the one that came one minute after he asked to play as a striker. It was not enough to change the result. But for a team at the very beginning of a long road, it was a start.
Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2026
