Pakistan’s first goals in a FIFA competition sent supporters into joyful celebration online after FIFA’s World Cup page shared clips of the strikes on Instagram and other social platforms.
Ali Akbar Khan scored his first international goal while Abdul Samad Arshad added the equaliser. Pakistan came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with the Philippines in the FIFA ASEAN Cup on Tuesday.
Pakistan trailed 2-0 at halftime after Sandro Reyes scored in the 24th minute and Bjørn Kristensen converted a penalty just after the half-hour mark. Nolberto Solano made two changes at the break, and they worked straight away.
Two minutes into the second half, Ali Akbar beat a defender and slotted the ball between goalkeeper Kevin Ray Mendoza’s legs. Soon after the hour mark, Abdul Samad won the ball on the right, cut onto his left foot and fired past Mendoza to level the score.
The point was the first for Solano’s side in their debut FIFA competition. They had lost 4-0 to Thailand in their Division I Group B opener.
For many fans, the goals mattered less than where they saw them. Pakistan’s players appeared on official FIFA pages, and supporters filled the comment sections.
“Pakistan football team on FIFA pages. What a feeling Man,” one user wrote.
Others kept it short. One fan wrote, “Pakistan Mentioned😭.” Another posted, “My team❤️❤️.” A third wrote, “What a time to be alive.”
Some comments mixed pride with humour. One fan joked, “Messi is a genius for retiring before 2030 wc..he sensed what was coming.” Another wrote, “Fifa and football fans aren’t ready for Pakistan to beat Spain and lose from Qatar 7-0.”
Several fans looked ahead. “We are coming,” one wrote. Another gave the most emotional reaction of the day, “Now i can die peacefully.”
The result carried extra weight because of the ranking gap. Pakistan sits 198th in the world, while the Philippines rank 135th, a difference of more than 60 places.
The draw keeps Pakistan’s campaign alive in Group B. They face Vietnam in their final match.
