Pakistan U-15 Beat Djibouti 4-2 to End Debut FIFA World Cup Campaign on a High

Pakistan’s under-15 football team signed off their first ever FIFA World Cup campaign with a win in Baku on Friday, beating Djibouti 4-2 in the Tier F final — and doing it the hard way, after going into half-time a goal down.

Djibouti struck first

Djibouti took the lead from a cross down the right that found its way into the bottom corner, and that single goal separated the sides at the break. What followed after the restart, though, was a different Pakistan side altogether. In the 23rd minute, captain Mohammad Mustafa stepped up to a free-kick at the edge of the box and powered it home to level the match.

Three goals in nine minutes

The equaliser changed the game. Kaleemullah put the Shaheens ahead in the 32nd minute, collecting the ball at the edge of the area and placing it calmly into the bottom-right corner, and barely a minute later an own goal stretched the lead to 3-1. Djibouti pulled one back on the counter to make it 3-2, and pushed hard for an equaliser as the clock ran down — but Pakistan’s defence held its nerve.

The sealing goal in added time

The win was sealed in added time. A kick-in from Mustafa found Danish Masih at the far post, and he finished confidently to make it 4-2 and close out a memorable afternoon for the young Shaheens.

A debut campaign to remember

This was Pakistan’s first appearance at a FIFA event, and the numbers tell the story of a team that grew into the tournament: four victories and two draws across ten matches, finishing 169th overall. Pakistan Football Federation president Syed Mohsen Gilani was at the match and congratulated the players and team management on the campaign. After a difficult start — defeats to Gambia, South Sudan and Cyprus, then draws with Jordan and Nigeria — the Shaheens found their stride in the second phase, beating Tonga 6-1 for their first win, then Bahamas 5-0 and Cook Islands 7-1 before Friday’s finale against Djibouti.