Pakistan football team suffers defeat at the hands of Myanmar football team

YANGON: With every passing game, Stephen Constantine is drifting further away from his goal of steering Pakistan to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

A 1-0 loss to Myanmar at the Thuwunna Stadium on Tuesday means Pakistan remain winless and pointless after two Group ‘L’ matches in the final round of qualifying for Asia’s elite tournament.

A double-header against Afghanistan follows in October and their next opponents, who were playing Syria in the other group game later in the day, would be licking their lips at the prospect of competing against a side that gave a toothless display against Myanmar, especially in the first half.

“Well, to be honest right now, I’m very disappointed, especially with the first half. I think we did not live up to the expectations, especially the defensive play that we’ve shown in the first half,” Pakistan skipper Abdullah Iqbal at the post-match presentation.