Injured Fazal out ahead of return game against Jordan

ISLAMABAD: Mohammad Fazal (defender) has been declared unfit to travel with the Pakistan team as the squad left here in the wee hours Sunday to play the Football World Cup 2026 Qualifying Round’s return match in Jordan on March 26.

Jordan defeated Pakistan 3-0 in the first leg on March 21. “Fazal is suffering from a hamstring injury and will not be in a position to travel with the team to Jordan. He is a diaspora player and will be going back to Norway where he plays club football. The rest of the team members are the same who played against Jordan in the first leg,” one of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) officials when contacted said.

The team left for Jordan on two flights late in the wee hours Sunday and would assemble en route to Jordan.

The Jordanian team is currently occupying the No. 3 position only ahead of Pakistan in Group G and would be looking forward to a big win against Pakistan in the return match to enhance their points and goal average.

“We will make sure that we achieve a big win against Pakistan in the return match on March 26. We were expecting a big win in the first leg but Pakistan played a better game to restrict us. We however would make an all-out effort to achieve a big margin win which would help us attain a better position on the table,” Jordanian coach Al Hussain Al Mousa told journalists at the end of the first leg in Islamabad. He was confident that achieving a big win at home when the crowd would fully back the team would not be an issue. “Playing at home always brings the best out of players. I am hopeful the margin will be much bigger. We would be in a better frame of mind to improve our position at the top half of the Group,” he said.