Pakistan have been crowned the champion of the 2026 Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament held in Maldives after beating Afghanistan 2-0 in the final.
The tournament to celebrate 75 years of Maldivian football included Pakistan, Afghanistan, Maldives and Bangladesh.
Pakistan secured their spot in the final as the top team of the tournament. Their success in this tournament is their first in 35 years of their football history.
Pakistan, where cricket is a much popular sport, previously saw success in football during the 1991 South Asian Federation (SAF) Games.
The event took place at Colombo, with Pakistan claiming the gold medal in football after defeating Maldives 2-0 in the final.
This is the first time in 64 years Pakistan has played in the final of a football-only tournament, the last of which was the 1962 Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia, where they lost to Indonesia.
Pakistan won the Jubilee tournament after having scored 7 goals across four games. They played a tactical defensive game and did not concede a goal in any of their matches.
Pakistan maintained a tactical defensive game even last night at Male's national stadium where experienced goalkeeper Saqib Hanif, who is familiar with the stadium, had played. The team did not give Afghanistan much of a chance and held their defensive discipline throughout the match.
Pakistan's Haris Zeb's cross in the 24th minute allowed Otis Khan to attempt a shot at the goal. Even though his attempt did not have much power, Shayek Dost, who was in the penalty box, was able to reclaim possession and scored a goal via a bicycle kick.
The ball made contact with the goal post before entering, with Afghanistan's goalkeeper Faisal Ahmad Hamidi unable to defend against it.
A strong attack by Afghanistan's Omid Mousavi in the first half connected with Pakistan's goalpost.
Afghanistan attempted to create chances on the wing during the second half. However, Pakistan successfully held their defense together throughout the entire game.
During extra time, Pakistan launched a counter attack when Afghanistan's entire team had pushed forward on the pitch, with Haroon Rashid sprinting forward and beating Afghanistan's last defender at the back Ali Rayez Muradi. Rashid then scored with ease.
Haroon Rashid was named the Top Scorer in the 2026 Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament with 3 goals. Otis Khan was named the Best Player.
