Pakistan produced a spirited performance but suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against Iran in their 2027 AFC Under-17 Championship Group D qualifiers at the Laos National Stadium on Wednesday.
Despite conceding an early goal, Pakistan showed considerable character, taking the game to their opponents and creating several opportunities to find an equaliser.
Iran broke the deadlock in the ninth minute when Amir Mohamed Zarei finished off an attack down Pakistan’s right flank.
Muhammad Habib’s side responded positively with Nadeem Hussain coming close to restoring parity when he headed a corner straight at the goalkeeper following an impressive piece of skill from Hasnain Ali on the left.
Pakistan continued to press forward with Muhammad Essa causing problems through his pace and attacking runs on the right while Hasnain Ali remained influential on the opposite flank.
Goalkeeper Samar Razzaq kept Pakistan in the contest with a superb save in first-half stoppage time.
Pakistan returned with greater attacking intent after the break, launching repeated attacks in search of an equaliser. Hazrat Abbas came particularly close but failed to convert a one-on-one opportunity.
The Green-shirts continued to push forward as the match entered its closing stages with Haris Khan introduced late on in an attempt to strengthen the attack.
Pakistan were left frustrated in the 89th minute when they believed the ball had crossed the goal line only for the referee to rule that no goal had been scored.
Despite their late efforts, Pakistan could not find a breakthrough and had to settle for a narrow defeat.
Having opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Sri Lanka, Pakistan will now turn their attention to their third Group D fixture against hosts Laos on Saturday, hoping to return to winning ways.