Pakistan lose to Côte d’Ivoire; finish third in FIFA Series
This is the second straight loss for Pakistan after having lost their previous game against Mauritania 1-0. Pakistan had started well by downing Turks and Caicos Island 8-0.
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ABIDJAN (IVORY COAST): Côte d’Ivoire women football completed a flawless FIFA Series campaign at the summit with a 2-0 victory over Pakistan women in their FIFA Series clash at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on Thursday night.
The result represents the second loss in the tournament for Pakistan, following their narrow 1-0 defeat to Mauritania earlier in the week.
Despite starting the series with a heavy 8-0 victory over Turks and Caicos Island, the loss to the Ivorians meant Pakistan finished third in the tournament table. Côte d’Ivoire, who entered the match having scored 23 goals in their previous two fixtures, found the breakthrough in the 39th minute when Ami Diallo headed in following a scramble from a corner.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 69th minute as Habibou Oudraogo capitalised on another corner to head home. The situation worsened for Pakistan minutes later when Anmol Hira was shown a straight red card for handling the ball on the goal-line to prevent a score.
However, Pakistan goalkeeper Zeeyana Jivraj ensured the score-line remained respectable, diving to her right to save Bernadette Amani’s resulting penalty. Jivraj continued her fine form throughout the closing stages, using her feet to deny a goal in the 83rd minute and later diving to stop a goal-bound free-kick.
Despite the defensive effort, Pakistan was unable to bridge the gap, concluding their campaign in Abidjan with three points from three matches.
“We were up against a tough opponent so it was key that we kept our shape and discipline. Overall it was a very satisfying performance from the team to hold them to just two goals. These games are a learning curve for us and the more we play against such opponents, the more we will get better,” Pakistan coach Adeel Rizki said.
