It should have been one of the greatest days in Afghanistan's football history. As is so often the case in this war-ravaged country, however, a cause for celebration was overshadowed by tragedy.
On Wednesday, the national team thrashed Bhutan 8-1 to advance to the semifinals of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup for the first time.
The victory in New Delhi came a day after a bomb exploded in the capital, Kabul, killing more than 50 people, including four family members of one of the team's players, Mustafa Madar. Two former national team members and an Under-17 team player were also wounded.
Each Afghan player who scored against Bhutan embraced Madar, who was on the sidelines. Following the game, Coach Mohammed Yusuf Kargar dedicated the win to the victims of the attack.
''We were so happy when we came here, but on hearing this sad news, I just cannot stop crying. Now I have to control myself as we have a chance in this tournament,'' Madar was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.
In a country where violence is routine, financing is difficult to come by and football facilities are limited, it's no surprise the Afghan national team is No. 178 in FIFA's world rankings, just below the U.S. Virgin Islands. Of the eight South Asian teams playing in the SAFF Cup, Afghanistan is ranked higher only than Bhutan.
But the ''Lions of Khorasan,'' as the team has been dubbed, have impressed so far in their three group games at the tournament. After holding regional giant India to a surprising 1-1 draw in their opening match in Delhi, Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka 3-1 and then swatted aside Bhutan to book a spot in the semifinals against Nepal on Friday.
''Against Bhutan, I had asked my players to play a little easy as Bhutan are a little weak opposition,'' Kargar said. ''In the semifinals, we will be more serious. Let's see what happens and hope for the best.''
Nepal, which is in the last four for the first time since 1999, will prove a tougher opponent. The team is coached by Graham Roberts, a former England international and Tottenham, Chelsea and Rangers defender.
''Our aim was to get into semifinals and now we are focused for the semifinals match,'' Roberts said. ''We have a long rest and we will inject some energy in the team. Playing three matches in six days is really difficult. Players are tired.''
Football has had a lot of setbacks in Afghanistan over the past 30 years. In 1980, the national team sought asylum in Germany following the Soviet invasion. When the Taliban took over in the 1990s, it initially banned the sport and used to country's football stadiums for executions.
After football matches resumed in the country, there were reports of some players being arrested for having haircuts that were too long or beards that weren't long enough.
Afghanistan didn't play any international matches at all from 1984 to 2001. In 2004, nine players disappeared from a training camp in Italy and were later found in Germany, causing the national team to be temporarily disbanded.
The sport has re-emerged in recent years and there are now two professional leagues in the country - the Afghan National League and the Kabul Premier League. But the leagues are still severely lacking in funds and quality pitches, national team goalkeeper Hamidullah Yousufzai has been quoted as saying.
''The leagues are improving but the federation has little money,'' said Yousufazai, who plays for the team Kabul Bank. ''Clubs are usually tied to institutions who fund them but you can guess how profitable it is. We don't play as many competitive matches as we'd like to, nor do we earn much, which is why most senior team players are not full-time footballers.''
Eight of the 20 players picked to play in the SAFF Cup were either born or raised overseas. The highest-profile player in the squad is Bilal Arezou, who scored four goals against Bhutan and plays professionally in Norway.
Others play in India, in Germany's fifth-tier league or for amateur teams in the United States and Cyprus.
Yousufzai believes the Afghan team just needs more financial support in order to improve.
''With no offense to our federation, whatever tournament we are going, they pay us peanuts,'' he said. ''India on the other hand has a lot of financial support, but the outcome doesn't show in the way they play. If we get 10 percent of their annual expenditure, I bet the match which ended 1-1 would have been 5-1 in our favor.''
