ISLAMABAD: After just nine minutes at the Jinnah Stadium, Pakistan had to deal with damage control. Despite trailing Jordan, the winners of the Asian Cup, by two goals early in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match on Thursday, Pakistan demonstrated resilience and perseverance to lose by a score of just 3-0; coach Stephen Constantine was impressed with their effort.
In the midst of Pakistan’s third consecutive Group ‘G’ defeat in the second round of World Cup qualification, Constantine assured reporters, “We’re improving, yes.” “The boys gave everything they had today.”
Pakistan began the tournament with losses to Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan, respectively, and is currently at the bottom of the standings after making it past the first qualifying round for the first time in their history with their triumph over Cambodia last year.
Pakistan has always maintained that the six matches against the Asian elite were an opportunity for the team to get ready for the challenges ahead, specifically the third round of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Finishing in the top two to advance to the tournament’s third round in the United States, Canada, and Mexico was never a realistic goal for Pakistan.
“Building a national team in three or four months is not easy, especially if there isn’t a league [that operates in the nation],” a clearly pleased Constantine remarked following the game, which took place during the hours of fasting. “I won’t use Ramadan as an excuse because Jordan observed it along with the most of us, but I think you can tell that there is a difference in the game experience and the overall experience.
“You observe Mohammad Saddam, the left-back. We considered bringing him off after he played poorly for the first twenty-five minutes, but in the final fifteen minutes, he began to show signs of understanding, so ultimately, I don’t think it was a bad maiden international debut. [Forward] Adeel Younis did not do poorly in his debut match.
Fareedullah, a striker, played a fantastic game. Yousuf Butt, the goalkeeper, performed admirably and stopped a penalty. They all played fantastic games because without them, we would have lost 6-0 or 7-0. We didn’t get off to a fantastic start, but we later demonstrated character and tenacity.
Jordan entered the match having only earned a point from their first two group matches, but they were motivated by their incredible performance at the Asian Cup last month, where they made it to the final for the first time ever.
The Ligue 1 player Mousa Al Tamari, who plays for Montpellier, received a free kick from Mahmoud Al Mardi on the spin, and he hammered past Yousuf to give Hussein Ammouta’s team the lead in just the second minute.
When Yazan Al Naimat charged in from the left and was hauled down by right-back Rao Umar Hayat inside the box, things took a turn for the worse for Pakistan. Ali Olwan took the ensuing penalty perfectly, putting it past Yousuf, who didn’t even dive.
But after that, Pakistan grew more determined, with Yousuf motivating his team with an incredible reflex save to deny Al Naimat’s header.
After the event, Yousuf, who is based in Denmark, told reporters, “Bit by bit we’re improving.” “Imagine if there was a league in the nation and players received regular matches; the initial anxiety would vanish. The players would arrive fully charged. In the second half, we built up well and produced a couple opportunities.
At the hour mark, Fareed had a fantastic opportunity to cut the Pakistani lead, but he stumbled as he entered the box after getting the end of a long pass.
With 15 minutes remaining, Fareed came dangerously near to scoring when he fired a close-range shot straight at goalkeeper Yazeed Abdullah, frustrating Jordan’s attempts to extend the scoreline due to Pakistan’s mass defense.
But it wouldn’t take long for Jordan to take advantage of their opportunities, as in the 81st minute, center-back Abdullah Iqbal chopped down Al Tamari in the box. But this time, Yousuf dove right in and stopped Al Tamari’s attempt at that precise moment.
But four minutes later, Al Tamari made amends when he entered the area and blasted a shot that went in for Jordan’s third goal after deflecting off Pakistani captain Easah Suliman.
Al Tamari remarked following the game, “You want to make amends when you miss the penalty, and I’m glad I scored.”
Ammouta, the Moroccan coach of Jordan, said that his team should have scored more goals but was still happy with the three points. When his team plays Pakistan at home in five days, he promised they will try harder to score more goals.
Amouta said reporters, “We knew it would be a tough one before the game.” But the three points were ours. Before we meet Pakistan once more, we will be rectifying the mistakes we made from time to time.
Ammouta is aware that his team must take use of their opportunities against Pakistan because Group ‘G’ leaders Saudi Arabia and second-placed Tajikistan, who were scheduled to play later on Thursday, have defeated Pakistan 4-0 and 6-1, respectively.
“We will attempt to apply the same attacking pressure in the rematch,” Ammouta stated. “We tried to exert as much attacking pressure as we could today.” “Goals must be scored in the next game because that could determine who finishes in the top two spots in the group.”
