By: Muhammad Idrees Abbasi
Islamabad: Syria extended their flawless run in Group E of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Qualifiers, Final Round with a commanding 5-0 victory over Pakistan on Tuesday. The already-qualified West Asian side moved to 15 points, while Pakistan remained at the bottom of the table.
Syria began on the front foot, with early threats from Mahmoud Al Aswad and Amar Ramadan in the opening minutes. In the third minute, Mahmoud Al Mawas combined well in midfield to set up Mohammad Anez, whose effort was blocked by Pakistan’s defence.
Pakistan attempted to respond quickly. In the fourth minute, Ahmed Faraz tried to break into the box, but the Syrian backline closed him down effectively.
A promising moment for Pakistan came in the sixth minute when Rahis Nabi drifted past his marker on the wing, dribbled into the area, and fired a low shot, forcing goalkeeper Shaher Alshaker to protect his near post.
Syria nearly opened the scoring in the 22nd minute through a swift counterattack. Al Mawas picked out Al Aswad inside the area, but Haris Ali Zeb intervened brilliantly to deny the opportunity.
Five minutes later, Khaled Kourdoghli delivered a curling cross into the box for Amar Ramadan, who mistimed his run and failed to make contact.
Syria’s persistence paid off in the 34th minute when Zakaria Hannan surged forward and cut the ball back into the six-yard area, where Mohammad Al Hallak reacted quickly to tap it in.
Just two minutes into the second half, Syria doubled their lead. Ramadan slipped a precise through ball to Al Mawas, whose initial attempt was saved by Pakistan goalkeeper Adam Ahmed, but the rebound fell perfectly for Al Hallak to smash home his second goal.
Pakistan’s problems deepened in the 79th minute when a swift Syrian counterattack—initiated by Al Hallak—ended with substitute Yasin Al Samya finding the back of the net. Alaa Al Dali added a fourth in the 90th minute, driving through the middle, rounding Ahmed, and scoring with ease.
In stoppage time, Al Samya struck again, guiding Anas Dahhan’s low pass into the net to complete Syria’s emphatic win.