Pakistan beat Cambodia 1-0 in football World Cup qualifier

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Tuesday beat Cambodia 1-0, registering its first-ever win in World Cup football qualifiers.

Harun Hamid Khan scored the decisive goal for Pakistan in the 67th minute of the thriller played in Jinnah Stadium Islamabad in front of a small but charged crowd.

The first leg of the tie between the two sides last week ended in a goalless draw in Cambodia.

The green shirts will now clash with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Tajikistan in Group G in round two of the qualifiers.

The rare victory coincided with the return of international football to the otherwise cricket-crazy South Asian country after a hiatus of eight years.

Pakistan played its last international match on home soil against Afghanistan in the northeastern city of Lahore in 2015, while they last faced Bangladesh in a home World Cup qualifier in 2011.

Football is a popular sport in Pakistan, particularly in rural areas, but the national team ranks an abysmal 197th in the FIFA world rankings.