Pakistan under-16 football team on Monday defeated arch-rivals India 1-0 in a thrilling encounter of the SAFF Football Tournament at Maldives.
Pakistan were off to a positive start to their SAFF campaign when they halted the aggression shown by India in the opening match of the tournament being participated by Maldives in group A along with Pakistan and India and Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in group B. Pakistan striker Mansoor Khan opened up the scoring in the 20th minute of the match and the team maintained that one goal slender lead intact till the final hooter.
Pakistan with their attacking style penetrated right into the defences of India and Mansoor did the rest. As of the Indian team, they tried their level best to find an opening in the Pakistan danger zone but the defence and mid-field displayed a solid combination to keep the Indians at bay throughout the whole 90 minutes play.
Teams finishing first and second from each group will qualify for the semifinals while the other two will vie for the fifth and sixth places. Both the semifinals will be played on August 8 while the third place play-off and final will be held on August 10.