@AshIndia: Why do you say there were a handful of supporters? I left work with a few colleagues and went to Cooperage ( its quite close to our Corporate Sales Office) to see if any game was on. I do this quite frequently. For the first time the gatekeeper said that all tickets are sold out. He said that the Afghan consulate bought a lot of tickets and was distributing it to the Afghan expats in Mumbai. Do you have a schedule for the remaining fixtures?
This is great for Afghan football. Playing against profressional clubs will give them better exposure. A thumbs up to India aswell for inviting the Afghans, India in the past have always shown interest in Afghanistan and have always helped in any manner. The clubs Kabul Bank is playing against, what level/division clubs are they?
Kabul Bank drew 2-2 with Air India which is an I league side known for providing platrform to many unknown talents.
Yes India have always been Afghanistan friend by offering aid and funds regularly kabul Bank played their first match against Air India FC which is currently lying in 11 position in I-League.The match was witnessed by jam packed local Afghani crowd Today they played against a semi-professional club RCF
kabul Bank in India Friendly: RCF v Kabul Bank FC Skipper Ashmat Barikzya led from the front with a first half goal as Afghan Bank FC recorded a 1-0 win against RCF Club at the picturesque RCF Sports Complex in Chembur. Despite the lean nature of the final score line, the activities on the pitch were anything but dreary as both teams indulged in some hi-tempo action with quick breaks and chances coming in thick and fast. The visitors could have raced to a 3-0 lead within the first ten minutes with their impressive wing play however some valiant defending by the make-shift RCF defenders kept the tie alive. The difference in style between the two teams was fairly evident as the beefy Afghans used physical strength to shrug off their markers while the comparatively frailer locals had to rely on their dribbling ability to create openings. Textbook Header The opening goal arrived in the 14th minute from a move which had been replicated time and again post kick-off. A deep cross from the right flank was whipped into the box for the two charging Afghan forwards to attack – only this time around Ashmat Barikzya beat the keeper to the ball and nodded home from close range. Goal! 1-0 to Afghan Bank. To their credit, RCF – whose personnel woes meant that they went into the game fielding a severely under-strength outfit – soon found their way back into the game and began creating some in-roads into the Afghan final third. Despite being heavily outclassed in the physical aspect of the game, the boys soon fell into a familiar rhythm and created a couple of good scoring opportunities. With both teams in a mood for experimentation, substitutions were aplenty and players popped up in different positions as the match progressed.
Visual Feast Watching the Bankers move the ball around with effortless ease and an impeccable first touch was nothing less than a visual feast. Rarely giving away possession cheaply, the visitors switched play from flank-to-flank and made the locals sweat to win the ball. As the minutes wore on, the RCF players grew in confidence and the rickety defense of the opening phase had now transformed into an impregnable fortress, thwarting wave after wave of sky-blue shirts with a truly-inspired performance. All Over At full-time, there were smiles all around and handshakes exchanged as yet another memorable ninety minutes came to a close. For the visitors, it was a victory to keep their morale high on their Mumbai adventure. For the RCF youngsters, who stepped over and above their call of duty, an excellent exposure to overseas football and an injection of renewed vigor and self belief. http://www.footballmumbai.com/Beta/...w=article&id=72:i-lg-09&catid=35:news-display
That is very nice to see Kabul Bank is doing great in India. Although Indian football is not professional, but it can be a good experience and confidence to Afghan players. Such visits would also add to the Afghan-Indo friendship.
I heard that Yusef Islam is touted by a few Indian football clubs? So where to now for Afghan football?
Afghanistan Women Futsal team participated in Islamic Countries Women Futsal Championship held in Jordan this month. The Afghan team had two losses again Uzbekistan and Jordan and draw with Syria.
Kabul Bank won 8 of Sowr Tournament by winning a 2 - 0 win over Urdo. The goals were scored by Eegore, the Russian player, and Khosrow. Tamadon TV broadcasted the match live and many people, Olympic and football federation and National Army officials watched it in the stadium.
Afghanistan U-14 is doing great in the South Asian Festival held in Iran. Afghanistan 5 - 0 Sri Lanka Afghanistan 1 - 0 Nepal Afghanistan 4 - 0 Bangladesh The matches are for 30 minutes each for this week. Next week, they will start 60 minutes matches divided into 30 minutes each half. Afghanistan tops all the 9 teams so far with three successive wins without conceding a single goal.
India 2 - 2 Iran India 2 - 4 Pakistan India 1 - 1 Maldives Iran's Football Federation website which shows the results is only updated in Farsi.
I don't know why Afghanistan failed to enter,but heard about Nepal withdrawing due to expenses.Might be the same reason