In pictures: Afghans celebrate historic football win
- Published
In a rare moment of unity, thousands of Afghans took to the streets of Kabul to welcome their national football team home after winning the the South Asian Football Federation Championship.
The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, went to Kabul airport to personally welcome home each player.
Afghanistan defeated defending champions, India, 2-0 to win the team's first ever international football tournament.
The fiercely competitive match was watched by an estimated 5,000 fans at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu, including dozens of Afghan officials and politicians.
Back in Kabul, tense supporters watched their team's victory live on a giant TV screen. Twelve years ago Afghans did not have easy access to TVs and radios.
Celebrating the win, Afghans piled into the national football stadium in Kabul which - under Taliban rule - used to be a site of public executions. Fans clambered up a pole and hoisted the national flag.
And when the footballers displayed their trophy at the national stadium flag-waving Afghan fans cheered and whistled.
Female supporters also joined the public celebrations at the Kabul stadium.
Celebratory gunfire rang out around the Afghan capital raising some safety concerns.
After decades of war and insurgency, Afghanistan has only recently re-emerged on the world football scene.