Pakistan forward Shayak Dost’s bicycle kick in the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament final against Afghanistan grabbed attention well beyond the stadium, with fans taking to social media to celebrate the goal.
Dost broke the deadlock in the 24th minute after midfielder Otis Khan miscued his effort inside the box and the ball falling perfectly for the forward to finish with an overhead kick.
While Pakistan went on to win the final 2-0 as Harun Hamid sealed the victory with a brilliant dribble deep into added time, Dost’s bicycle kick stole the show, sending social media into a frenzy.
“Move over Ronaldo, Pakistan has its own bicycle-kick specialist: Shayek Dost!” wrote one user.
Another drew comparisons to some of football’s most celebrated names. “Ronaldo and Bale used to watch Shayek Dost’s bicycle kick.” A third simply called it as they saw it, “Damn it was a brilliant goal.”
Dost also earned an affectionate nickname online, with fans calling him the “Prince of Noshki”.
The victory was Pakistan’s first in a senior men’s international final since the 1991 South Asian Games and their first standalone tournament title since sharing the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament crown with India in 1952.
