Melbourne City academy prospect Ahmed Faraz Gulzari made his debut for Pakistan in 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying.
The talented teenager started for the world number 199 in their goalless draw with Afghanistan at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad, where Pakistan dominated possession while Otis Khan failed to convert a penalty on Thursday.
Led by Newcastle United and Premier League icon Nolberto Solano, Faraz Gulzari impressed on debut to help Pakistan claim their first point in the third round of Asian Cup qualifying.
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Faraz Gulzari was a standout for City’s Under-23 team in VPL1 this season, scoring 12 goals in 22 appearances and the teenager’s Pakistan call-up “represents the new generation of overseas talent strengthening Pakistan football’s future”.
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“Faraz is a speedy winger who shows quality on both the right and left and can also play as a nine,” City’s senior academy manager Simon Zappia told aleagues.com.au earlier this season.
“His end product has improved this season and he is now getting more reward for his effort.
“Again, we look forward to seeing him continue to progress over the next period. He is a local boy signed out of Berwick City in 2021 following our move to Casey.”
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Former Newcastle United, Boca Juniors, Aston Villa and West Ham midfielder Solano is head coach of Pakistan.
Solano was initially appointed head coach of the nation’s U23 side ahead of AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers.
The 50-year-old Peruvian, who was assistant coach of Peru when they qualified for the 2018 FIFA Men’s World Cup, made his bow with Pakistan’s senior national team against Afghanistan.
Pakistan have never qualified for a major tournament outside of the South Asian region.
“My first step is that we have to be competitive and not [have] everybody thinking about playing against Pakistan: ‘Three points in the pocket.’ No! We will try to be very competitive,” Solano told The Guardian prior to the match.
“We have to face every challenge in front of us. We have these couple of games – we’re working really hard to get Pakistan qualified for the Asian Cup. That will be fantastic for everyone.
“I would like to play like [Jürgen] Klopp, I like [Pep] Guardiola’s style, but you need to be realistic. My philosophy is trying to build a very good team, very good team spirit. That’s very important to survive, especially when you play in the high level … We want to work really hard and with all the issues we have got we have to be together. No excuses, Pakistan this, Pakistan that.”
