Overcoming all odds, the Pakistan Women’s National Football Team secured the upper hand over hosts Indonesia on Wednesday, defeating them 2-0.
The crowd at Kelapa Dua Stadium was visibly flustered by Pakistan’s surprising victory. Beating Indonesia on their home ground was an extremely hard task for the team—especially considering the drubbing they suffered at the hands of Chinese Taipei in the first qualifier last week. In the first qualifier, which Pakistan lost 8-0, Pakistan WNF struggled to control the ball for any period of time over a minute.
In defeating Indonesia, Pakistan emerged victorious against an opponent 62 places higher in the overall rankings, marking a major milestone that fans hope will encourage the country to allocate more resources for the development of women’s football.
The victory was no fluke. Players exhibited marked improvement in passing and crossing. Compared to their defeat against Taipei, when the ball would be intercepted during key points of vital playmaking, the match against Indonesia saw touches better placed, with apparent intent behind each move.
Seven-and-a-half minutes into the game, Nadia Khan scored an important first goal. Around 12 minutes after that, Suha Hirani safely placed Pakistan in the lead, guaranteeing the win.
The new call-ups also displayed good skills, with the game characterized by their tight coordination and consistently safe tackles.
Goalkeeper Zeeyana Jivraj secured four very important saves at crucial points in the game. In one of these, she had to take a very risky tackle that left the goal open and could very easily have backfired, but the judgement call proved a success and the ball failed to reach anywhere near the net.
Despite the win, however, Pakistan WNF’s chances of qualifying for AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 remain slim—primarily due to their major loss against Taipei. However, their success in this match shines a much-needed spotlight on the team, marking them as serious contenders in the Asian Women’s football scene.