Samar Ishaq

Samar Ishaq
Ishaq with Pakistan in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth (1986-01-01) January 1, 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth Faisalabad, Pakistan
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
2002–2003 Panther Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2006 Panther Club 52 (0)
2006–2016 Khan Research Laboratories 218 (0)
Total 270 (0)
International career
2006–2010 Pakistan U23
2005–2013 Pakistan 43 (3)
Medal record
Representing  Pakistan
Winner South Asian Games 2006
Khan Research Laboratories
Runner-up National Challenge Cup 2008
Winner National Challenge Cup 2009
Winner National Challenge Cup 2010
Winner National Challenge Cup 2011
Winner National Challenge Cup 2012
Winner National Challenge Cup 2015
Winner National Challenge Cup 2016
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Samar Ishaq (born January 1, 1986) is a Pakistani former footballer who played as a defender.[1] Ishaq captained the Pakistan national team in the 2010s.[2][3]

Club career

Panther Club

Ishaq made his professional debut in 2004–05 Pakistan Premier League with Panther Club of his hometown Faisalabad, finishing the season in relegation zone at 11th position with 30 points, but avoided relegation due to Allied Bank who had finished in 8th position dissolving their team at the end of the season.[4][5]

The team got relegated in the next 2005–06 season, finishing 11th again, with 20 points.[6] Ishaq scored his first goal for Panther Club in a 5–0 victory over City Football Club from Lahore in 2005 National Challenge Cup on 11 June 2005, scoring the second goal of the match and his team in the 47th minute.[6] Ishaq scored his second goal of the tournament in the 73rd minute against Wohaib, a game which Wohaib drew 2–2 in the last 10 minutes after trailing 2–0.[6] In the second stage of the tournament, Panther Club ended at the bottom of the table and got knocked out of the tournament.[6]

Khan Research Laboratories

Ishaq joined Khan Research Laboratories at the start of 2006–07 season. Ishaq was a regular in the starting eleven throughout the season as Khan Research Laboratories finished 3rd, conceding only 12 goals in 20 games.[7]

In the 2007–08 season, Ishaq scored his first goal with KRL on 5 January 2008 in the 4–1 win against Pakistan Airlines, scoring the equaliser after Shakir Lashari gave the lead to Pakistan Airlines in the 11th minute.[8] Ishaq again ended 3rd with Khan Research Laboratories, as his side had the second best defense of the league behind Pakistan Army, who conceded 10 goals as compared to 13 of Khan Research Laboratories.[8]

The 2008–09 season saw Ishaq winning his first silverware, as Khan Research Laboratories won the 2009 National Football Challenge Cup, defeating Pakistan Airlines 1–0 in the finals, thanks to a 64th-minute goal by Muhammad Qasim.[9] However they finished third in the league again behind league winners and runners-up WAPDA and Pakistan Army respectively.[9]

In 2009–10 season, Ishaq and Khan Research Laboratories won their first ever league national title, as they won the league on goal difference, finishing first with a goal difference of +32 as compared to +22 of Pakistan Army after both teams ended the season with 60 points. Ishaq with his team conceded only 8 goals in 26 matches.[10] He scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 win over National Bank on 7 August 2009, as he opened the scoring in the 63rd minute.[10] On 4 October 2009, Ishaq scored the lone goal in the 90+1 minute as Khan Research Laboratories defeated Pak Elektron 1–0.[10] Ishaq and Khan Research Laboratories went on to achieve the double and they also successfully defended the National Challenge Cup.[11] Ishaq scored the fastest goal of the 2010 National Football Challenge Cup, when he scored the goal in the 2nd minute of the match in the finals, as his team went on to defeat Pakistan Navy 4–0, with Kaleemullah Khan, Zubair Ahmed and Abid Ghafoor scoring in the 22nd, 63rd and 77th minutes respectively.[10]

Ishaq finished second in the 2010–11 Pakistan Premier League after WAPDA topped the league, 9 points clear of Khan Research Laboratories, although Khan Research Laboratories had the best defense of the season conceding only 16 goals in 20 matches.[12] Ishaq scored his only goal of the season against Pakistan Army on 20 September 2010, converting a penalty in the 56th minute. Ishaq however, won his and his team's third consecutive National Challenge Cup title as they defeated Karachi Electric Supply Corporation 1–0 in the finals held at Ishaq's hometown of Faisalabad. Ishaq scored his only goal of the tournament in the group stage in a 2–0 win over Habib Bank.

Ishaq became the captain of Khan Research Laboratories, at the 2011–12 season, as they went on to achieve the double once again. He won the league as Khan Research Laboratories finished at the top of the table, 20 points clear of surprise runners-up Afghan Chaman.[13] This was the first time in the Pakistan Premier League that the league was won by any team with 6 games remaining to play. He was again declared player of the season.[14] Ishaq won the 2012 National Football Challenge Cup 3–1 on penalties after the match stayed 0–0 after extra-time, Ishaq's missed his penalty after hitting the post.

Ishaq won his third league and second consecutive title, as they went on to win the 2012–13 Pakistan Premier League, courtesy of Kaleemullah Khan who scored 35 goals in 30 games, most in the history of Pakistan Premier League.[15] Ishaq scored his first league goal of the season on 5 January 2013, after scoring a penalty in the 77th minute against Karachi Port Trust 2–1. Ishaq missed the decisive penalty in a quarter-finals match against National Bank in the 2013 National Football Challenge Cup, causing them to crash out of the tournament.

After his retirement in 2016, Ishaq along with Kamran Khan joined KRL's coaching panel as assistant coaches.

International career

Ishaq was first called by the Pakistan national team during the 2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup.[16] Ishaq won the 2006 South Asian Games with the Pakistan under 23 national team.[17] He subsequently played at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Jordan, which was hosted in the Amman International Stadium.[1] He also participated at the 2010 Asian Games with the under-23 side.[18]

In 2011, Ishaq was named captain of the senior national team for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification, with Abdul Aziz as vice-captain.[19] At the 2011 SAFF Championship at the end of the year, Ishaq acted as vice-captain after goalkeeper Jaffar Khan.[20] Due to injury of Jaffar Khan, Ishaq again led the national side in 2013 for a friendly against Afghanistan.[21][22] He retained his captaincy in the consequent 2013 SAFF Championship.[23] In the tournament, he scored an own goal in the second match against India in a one-nil defeat,[24][25][26] and scored a goal against Bangladesh in a 2–1 victory,[27] as Pakistan failed to pass the group stages.[28]

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[1]
National team Year Apps Goals
Pakistan 2006 9 0
2007 2 0
2008 8 1
2009 4 0
2011 8 1
2012 1 0
2013 11 1
Total 43 3
Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Samar Ishaq
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 June 7, 2008 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives    Nepal 1–2 1–4 2008 SAFF Championship
2 December 6, 2011 Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, India    Nepal 1–1 1–1 2011 SAFF Championship
3 September 5, 2013 Halchowk Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal  Bangladesh 1–1 2–1 2013 SAFF Championship

Honours

Pakistan U23

Khan Research Laboratories

Individual

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Sammar Ishaq (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com.
  2. ^ "SAFF Cup: India face tricky Bangladesh test". The Times of India. 2013-09-03. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  3. ^ "India pips Pakistan 1-0 in SAFF cup opener". The Hindu. 2013-09-01. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  4. ^ "Pakistan 2004". www.rsssf.org.
  5. ^ "SOCCER: Panther Club face PWD today". DAWN.COM. 2005-08-12. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  6. ^ a b c d "Pakistan 2005". www.rsssf.org.
  7. ^ "Pakistan 2006/07". www.rsssf.org.
  8. ^ a b "Pakistan 2007/08". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  9. ^ a b "Pakistan 2008/09". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  10. ^ a b c d "Pakistan 2009/10". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  11. ^ "KRL become Pakistan football champion". The Nation. 2009-12-13. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  12. ^ "Pakistan 2010/11". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  13. ^ "Pakistan 2011/12". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  14. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (2011-12-30). "KRL clinch PPFL trophy". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  15. ^ "Pakistan 2012/13". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  16. ^ "South Asian Gold Cup 2005 (Karachi, Pakistan)". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  17. ^ "Football team to be honoured". DAWN.COM. 2006-11-25. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  18. ^ "Five expats in Pakistan`s football squad for Asiad". DAWN.COM. 2010-10-02. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  19. ^ "Pakistan will go all out to excel in qualifiers: Lutfi". DAWN.COM. 2011-03-18. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  20. ^ "SAFF Football Championship: Pakistan team leaves for New Delhi". Brecorder. 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  21. ^ AFP (2013-08-20). "Confident Pakistan ready for historic Afghanistan clash". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  22. ^ "Kabul fever ahead of Afghan-Pakistan clash". Yahoo News. 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  23. ^ Wasim, Umaid (2013-09-01). "Pakistan take on India in SAFF Championship's biggest draw". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  24. ^ Kathmandu, Sports Reporter from (2013-09-02). "India beat Pakistan". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  25. ^ "INDIA BEAT PAKISTAN TO BEGIN TITLE DEFENCE". www.the-aiff.com. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  26. ^ Wasim, Umaid (2013-09-01). "Own goal hands India victory over spirited Pakistan". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  27. ^ "SAFF C'ship 2013: Bangladesh 1-2 Pakistan". the-AFC. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  28. ^ Sohail, Shahrukh (2014-07-20). "Yes, I don't like watching football if Pakistan isn't playing". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2024-08-31.