Five overseas-based players, Abdullah Iqbal, Easah Suliman, Ali Akbar Khan, Adil Nabi and Abdul Samad Shahzad, have joined Pakistan’s squad in Bangladesh ahead of the SAFF Championship semifinal on November 14, Jang has reported.
The group-stage fixtures fell outside the FIFA international window, so the five missed those matches.
Pakistan reached the semifinals after India beat the Maldives 1-0, which confirmed them in the top two of Group B. Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored the winner from a 38th-minute penalty at the National Stadium, after Abdul Rabeeh won the spot kick with a foul in the box. India finished first with six points from two games. Pakistan took second with three points and a goal difference of +2, after scoring five goals and conceding three. The Maldives lost both matches, scoring none and conceding four.
Pakistan opened the tournament with a 3-2 defeat to India. Suhail scored twice, and Kipgen added a third in the 32nd minute. India named a young squad under Under-23 coach Naushad Moosa, because the senior side is playing friendlies against New Zealand.
Pakistan recovered on Sunday with a 3-0 win over the Maldives. Striker Najeeb Ullah Khan, 19, scored twice in the first half. Coach Nolberto Solano made four changes to the side that lost to India.
Pakistan will face the Group A winner at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday, November 14. That opponent is not yet confirmed.
Hosts Bangladesh beat Bhutan 1-0 in their opener, with a goal from substitute Mohammad Ibrahim. They reached the last four when Sri Lanka and Bhutan drew 2-2 on Sunday, which left both teams on one point.
Bangladesh play Sri Lanka in the final Group A match. Bangladesh will top the group with a win or a draw and meet Pakistan. A Sri Lanka win would put Sri Lanka first and set up a semifinal against Pakistan instead. A draw is enough for Sri Lanka to reach the semifinals, while Bhutan need Sri Lanka to lose to keep their hopes alive.
India, as Group B winners, will play the Group A runners-up in the other semifinal on the same day. The final takes place on November 17.
