LAHORE: Pakistan’s Under-16 football team produced a spirited display but lost 1-2 to Russia in their second match of the UEFA U-16 Development Tournament in Kazakhstan.
Head coach Mohammad Essa praised his side’s resilience after a much-improved performance compared to their opening 4-1 defeat against Kazakhstan. “We fought for every ball, we went for every tackle. It is a result that gives us a lot of heart heading into our last game against Azerbaijan,” he said.
Russia struck early in the 7th minute through Aleksandr Braginets, but Pakistan’s defense, marshaled by goalkeeper Naveedullah, held firm thereafter. Pakistan nearly equalized before halftime when Muhammad Hanzala beat his marker, only to see his shot parried away by Russian keeper Arseniy Rihelgof.
The breakthrough came in the 50th minute when Danish Masih won a header that fell kindly for Shahraz Khan, who converted to level the scores. Momentum swung Pakistan’s way until midfielder Essa was shown a second yellow card in the 72nd minute. Russia capitalized immediately, with Maksim Ivanov scoring the decisive goal.
Despite the defeat, the young Green Shirts took pride in their performance. Shahraz Khan said, “We are very grateful for this opportunity, and at such a high level. We wanted to put up a solid performance against Russia and we were almost there today.”
Danish Masih, who played a key role in the equalizer, added, “We are thankful that the Pakistan Football Federation under president Syed Mohsen Gilani has given us this opportunity to play in a UEFA tournament and ultimately against Russia. This will significantly help us grow further.”
Pakistan will now face Azerbaijan in their final group match. While results have not gone their way, the exposure against top European youth sides has provided invaluable experience for Essa’s charges, reinforcing the importance of international competition in developing Pakistan’s next generation of footballers.
