India U-23 0-2 Pakistan U-23 – Five talking points

Pakistan’s big two step up

It was a memorable victory for Pakistan

Despite the fact that it was an ordinary display from both sides, Pakistan can’t be denied the chance to celebrate this victory as it came away from home against the arch-rivals. Pakistan could Mohammad Shamlan would have been desperate to at least avoid a whitewash in the series but now he and his players will go back to Pakistan as heroes. Two players in particular stepped up for Pakistan and unsurprisingly it was their Kyrgyzstan-based duo – Kaleem Ullah and Saddam Hussain. With Shamlan ignoring foreign-born talent, a lot depended on the performances of Kaleem and Saddam – both of whom ply their trade for Kyrgyzstan’s Dordoi Bishkek. Kaleem was uncharacteristically wasteful in the first game but produced a moment of magic to score from a free-kick in the first half. Saddam showed great stamina throughout the game and after squandering a one-on-one chance, he made no mistake on the second instance to wrap up a memorable win for the visitors.