Abdullah Rahi (born 1938), is a Pakistani former footballer who played as an inside right forward. Abdullah represented the Pakistan national football team in the 1960s, and was member of the national squad which finished finalists at the 1962 Merdeka Tournament.
 Abdullah in 1959 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1938 | ||
| Place of birth | Lyari, British India | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1962–1963 | Victoria SC | ||
| 1963 | Dhaka Wanderers | ||
| 1964–1970 | Dhaka Mohammedan | ||
| International career | |||
| 1959–1969 | Pakistan | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
editAbdullah was born in the Lyari locality of Karachi in British India.[1][2][3]
Club career
edit
Like several notable players of West Pakistan, Abdullah represented several clubs in East Pakistan at the Dhaka League.[4][5]
With Victoria SC, Abdullah scored one of the goals at the 1962 Aga Khan Gold Cup final 5–1 victory against Young Taegeuk FA.[6] The next year, he represented Dhaka Wanderers as a guest player and helped the side finish runner-up at the Aga Khan Gold Cup.[7]
In 1969, Abdullah helped Dhaka Mohammedan win the league title as unbeaten champions. His attacking partnership with Golam Sarwar Tipu, Pratap Shankar Hazra, and fellow Pakistan national team forward Ali Nawaz Baloch being integral to their success that season.[8]
International career
edit
In 1959, Abdullah was member of the Pakistan national football team which participated at the 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification in Ernakulam, India.[9] Abdullah recorded the winner goal at the 13th minute in Pakistan's first official victory over India, during the 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification.[10][11][12] Previously the national side had won twice against India in exhibition games after the 1953 and 1955 editions of the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament.[13] The next year, Abdullah managed to score in a record 7–0 victory over Thailand at the 1960 Merdeka Tournament.[14]
Abdullah was member of the national squad which finished runner-ups at the 1962 Merdeka Tournament after falling in the final against Indonesia by 1–2.[15]
Career statistics
editInternational goals
editNote: Exact figures of Pakistani players before 1989 are not yet known and yet to be researched. Below are goals recorded.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 December 1959 | Maharaja College Stadium, Kochi, India |  India
|
1–0 | 1–0 | 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification | [10][11] |
| 2 | 5 August 1960 | Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya |  Thailand
|
7–0 | 1960 Merdeka Tournament | [14] |
Honours
editPakistan
- Merdeka Tournament runner-up: 1962
Victoria SC
- Dhaka League: 1962
- Aga Khan Gold Cup: 1962
Dhaka Mohammedan
- Dhaka League: 1969
References
edit- ^ Jabri, Parvez (2013-11-04). "Karachi Police Chief announces jobs for footballers from Lyari". Brecorder. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
- ^ Bukhari, Syed (2017-11-06). "5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Lyari". The Baloch News. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
- ^ InpaperMagazine, From (2013-01-13). "In-depth: Pakistan football". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
- ^ Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part II". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
- ^ Iqbal, Ayaz Khan | Nayir (2024-09-22). "FOOTBALL: GLORY DAYS, PASS ME BY". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 2024-09-22. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 21 October 1962". p. 12. Retrieved 23 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Dulal, Mahmud (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
- ^ "বঞ্চিত ফুটবলার নওশেরুজ্জামান" [Deprived footballer Nowsheruzzaman]. banglanews24.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 2024-08-23.
- ^ "Israel Official Games 1948-1959". rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
- ^ a b Parkar, Ubaid (24 June 2023). "India vs Pakistan in football: A rather one-sided rivalry in numbers". Olympics. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) – Monday 14 December 1959" – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Nilanjan Datta (2013). India NT Results.
- ^ "Asian Quadrangular Tournament (Colombo Cup) 1952–1955". rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ^ a b "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) – Saturday 06 August 1960" – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) – Thursday 20 September 1962" – via British Newspaper Archive.