Sport
Roaring Success: Afghanistan Begin Asian Cup Campaign with Big Win
Reza Hosseinpoor was the standout performer, scoring twice as the 2024 quarter-finalists delivered the strong start they had been targeting.
Afghanistan launched their AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 Group D campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Saudi Arabia 3–0 at the Jakarta International Velodrome on Wednesday.
Reza Hosseinpoor was the standout performer, scoring twice as the 2024 quarter-finalists delivered the strong start they had been targeting.
Saudi Arabia threatened early, creating the first clear chance in the second minute when Abdullah Alaqeeli sent Eihab Mohamed through on goal, but goalkeeper Javad Safari reacted sharply to push away the powerful effort.
Afghanistan responded with chances of their own through Omid Qanbari and Hosseinpoor, though both attempts were comfortably handled by Saudi goalkeeper Humood Aldahhan. The end-to-end contest continued, with Safari later denying Saleh Alqarni before Aldahhan kept out efforts from Seyed Hossein Mousavi and captain Akbar Kazemi.
Sustained Afghan pressure finally paid off just seconds before halftime. Hosseinpoor saw his initial shot saved by Aldahhan but reacted quickest to fire in the rebound and give his side a deserved lead.
The Central Asian side picked up where they left off after the break, coming close to doubling their advantage when Kazemi’s deflected strike clipped the crossbar. At the other end, Safari produced another crucial save to deny Mohamed from close range.
Afghanistan’s second goal arrived in the 28th minute, once again through Hosseinpoor. In a near replica of his opener, his first attempt was blocked, but the forward made no mistake with the rebound, driving the ball into the bottom corner.
Saudi Arabia’s late switch to a flying goalkeeper proved costly, as Afghanistan intercepted possession and Omid Qanbari calmly slotted the ball into an empty net to seal a convincing 3–0 victory.
In the next round of Group D fixtures, Afghanistan will face Malaysia, while Saudi Arabia take on Iran. Both matches will be played on Friday.
Afghanistan’s U-15 national football team defeated India 2-1 in the quarter-finals of Tier C at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan on Thursday.
The match marked Afghanistan’s eighth appearance in the competition, with the young Afghan side recording their fifth victory.
Afghanistan will face Hungary in the semi-finals of the placement competition for positions 81 to 88 later on Thursday.
Afghanistan’s U-15 national football team secured a convincing 6-2 victory over Namibia in the Round of 16 of the lower bracket in Tier C at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
Afghanistan will now face India in the quarter-finals for positions 81 to 88, today (Thursday).
Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 37 runs in the opening match of their three-match T20I series in Sharjah on Tuesday, thanks to a blistering half-century from Ijaz Ahmadzai and impressive all-round performances from Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Afghanistan were struggling at 66 for 5 in the 12th over before Ahmadzai turned the innings around with an explosive knock. He reached his half-century off just 20 balls, putting Zimbabwe’s bowlers under pressure with a series of powerful shots.
Ahmadzai combined with Shahidullah, who scored 46 off 42 balls, to rebuild the innings. The pair added 61 runs in just 4.5 overs, helping Afghanistan recover from their early setbacks.
Rashid Khan provided another late surge, smashing 30 runs off just 10 deliveries, including four sixes and a four. Afghanistan were eventually bowled out with one ball remaining in their innings but managed to post a competitive total of 177.
Newman Nyamhuri was Zimbabwe’s leading bowler, claiming four wickets for 31 runs.
In reply, Zimbabwe struggled against Afghanistan’s disciplined bowling attack and were bowled out for 140, handing Afghanistan a comfortable victory.
Rashid played a key role with the ball, taking two wickets for 20 runs, while Fazalhaq Farooqi also claimed three wickets to restrict Zimbabwe’s chase.
Afghanistan tightened their grip during the middle overs as Rashid and Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck crucial blows. Mujeeb finished with two wickets, while Zimbabwe continued to lose batters at regular intervals and failed to build the partnerships needed to challenge the target.
The victory marked Afghanistan’s sixth consecutive T20I win against Zimbabwe and improved their overall record in the format to 20 wins against two defeats.
The sides will meet again for their next T20I on Thursday.
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