Tag: Pakistan vs Japan

KUALA LUMPUR: The Pakistan hockey team defeated Japan 3-2 to register their first victory in the ongoing FIH Nations Cup 2025 here on Monday.

Pakistan took the lead in the first quarter when Ghazanfar Ali unleashed an electrifying strike that found the back of the net.

However, the response from Japan was swift and decisive; just a minute later, Kazumasa Matsumoto scored the equaliser.

Koji Yamasaki then deftly snatched the lead for Japan with a stunning goal, finishing the first quarter with a compelling score of 2-1 in their favour.

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Pakistan displayed tremendous grit and resilience in the second quarter, launching a series of aggressive attacks.

Despite their relentless efforts, breaking through Japan’s formidable defence proved to be a daunting task.

However, their perseverance finally bore fruit in the early moments of the third quarter, when Rana Waheed Ashraf found the net, igniting the hopes of the Pakistani team and levelling the score at 2-2.

Pakistan hockey team did not stop there as they continued their efforts to gain an advantage in the fourth quarter, and Sufyan Khan struck the match-winning goal for them eight minutes before the final whistle.

Pakistan squad for FIH Nations Cup

Ammad Butt (captain), Rana Waheed (vice captain), Muneer-ur-Rehman, Abdullah Ishtiaq, Mohammad Abdullah, Mohammad Sufyan Khan, Abdul Manan, Hamad Anjum, Arshad Liaquat, Moeen Shakeel, Zikriya Hayat, Ghazanfar Ali, Salman Razaq, Junaid Manzoor, Afraz Khan, Abdul Rehman, Ahmed Nadeem and Mohibullah.

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IPOH: Pakistan held Japan for a 1-1 stalemate and continued their unbeaten run in the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 here on Tuesday.

Pakistan and Japan went hard at each other from the word go but neither of the sides could manage to get the upper hand and played out the first two quarters goalless.

Japan then got the reward for their precision in the third quarter when Ken Nagayoshi converted a penalty corner in the 33rd minute.

Japan’s narrow lead persisted for the conclusion of the third quarter while the fourth quarter was also nearing its end, indicating at the possibility of Pakistan’s first defeat in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

But Rana Waheed Ashraf turned the tide for Pakistan and lifted them to level the thrilling match after a perfectly crafted penalty corner in the last minute.

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Earlier this week, Pakistan crushed South Korea 4-0 to register their second consecutive victory in the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Hannan Shahid gave Pakistan an early lead against South Korea, courtesy of a field goal in the third minute before Arshad Liaqat doubled the lead in the 20th minute.

Pakistan’s third goal also came as a field goal, scored by Ghazanfar Ali in the 27th minute while Sufyan Khan converted a penalty corner in the 50th minute to seal a 4-0 victory.

It is worth mentioning that Pakistan had a flying start to their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup campaign with a nerve-testing 5-4 victory over Malaysia on Saturday. They will next face Japan on May 7.

Pakistan squad for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

Goalkeepers: Abdullah, Muneebur Rehman.

Defenders: Usama Bashir, Ehtisham Aslam, Mohammad Abdullah, Sufiyan, Abu Bakar (vice-captain), Ammad Butt (captain).

Midfielders: Salman Razzaq, Arshad Liaquat, Moin Shakeel, Zakria Hayat, Murtaza Yaqoob, Ghazanfar Ali.

Forwards: Abdul Rehman (Sr), Abdul Hanan, Rana Waheed, Ejaz Ahmad.

Standbys: Akmal Hussain, Aqeel Ahmad, Arbaz, Hammad Anjum, Abdul Rehman (Jr), Abdul Manan, Rooman.

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HANGZHOU: Pakistan men’s hockey team crashed out of the Asian Games 2023 medal race following a 3-2 defeat against Japan on Monday.

Japan needed to win the all-important clash to book their place in the semi-final of the Asian Games 2023 Hockey event while the Green Shirts only needed to avoid a defeat.

However, the result came out in Japan’s favour as they edged Pakistan 3-2 and made it to the final four.

Pakistan got off to a flying start as they opened their account just five minutes into the game through Arshad Liaquat only for Japan to hit two goals in response in the sixth and 17th minutes via Tanaka Kaito and Fukuda Kentaro, respectively and took the lead.

Fujishima Raiki then enhanced Japan’s lead to 3-1 in the 28th minute but Pakistan cut their lead soon after through Arbaz Ahmad.

Both sides threatened to score more goals in the final quarter of the sea-saw contest but the scoreboard remained intact at 3-2 till the final whistle in Japan’s favour.

A narrow defeat against Japan meant Pakistan have now crashed out of the Asian Games 2023 medal race and will compete against a third-placed side from Pool B for the fifth and sixth position on October 6.

Earlier in the tournament, Pakistan hockey team suffered a 10-2 thrashing at the hands of arch-rivals India on Saturday.

India had a flying start to the match as they took a dominant 2-0 lead over Pakistan in the first quarter, courtesy of Harmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh, who scored one each.

The men in blue then doubled their lead in the second quarter and attained the complete command of the highly-anticipated match.

Pakistan finally showed some resistance in the third quarter as they managed to pull two back but it was insufficient as India still managed to further extend their lead by scoring three.

India then enjoyed another dominant quarter as they scored three more in the fourth to finish the match with a scoreline of 10-2, one of their largest victories against Pakistan.

Harmanpreet Singh was the star for India, scoring four, followed by Varun Kumar, who scored two while Mandeep Singh, Sumit, Shamsher Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay scored one each.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Sufyan Khan and Waheed Rana Ashraf could score one apiece.

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SALALAH: Pakistan beat Japan 3-2 on Monday in the Junior Hockey Asia Cup 2023 to reach the tournament’s semifinal while also qualifying for this year’s Junior  World Cup in Malaysia.

Pakistan will take on World Cup hosts Malaysia on Wednesday in the semifinal.

Abdul Wahab scored twice while Arbaaz Ahmed netted the first goal to give Pakistan a thrilling win over the opponents in their final encounter in Pool A.

Japan secured an early in the second minute of the game, through Kompi Yoshida on a penalty corner and ended the first quarter with a 1-0 lead.

Arbaaz found the equaliser in the 23rd minute on a penalty corner before Wahab put the Green Shirts ahead with a field goal in the 30th.

In the third quarter, the game witnessed a see-saw contest between the two sides as Japan nullified Pakistan’s lead through Hota Yamada in the 38th minute while Wahab was quick to restore the one-goal cushion.

With the win, Pakistan have also confirmed their spot in the FIH Men’s Hockey Asia Cup to be held in Kuala Lumpur from December 5 to 16, 2023.

Besides the Men in Green, India also qualified for the event’s semifinal from Pool A and will face South Korea, who finished second in Pool B.

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IPOH: Pakistan hockey team ended their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup campaign on a high note as they held off Japan 5-3 to finish in the top three for the first time after 11 years.

The national side, clinched the bronze medal as they beat Japan in the third-four placing game on Wednesday.

The Green Shirts earned their first medal in the championship after a long hiatus of over a decade. Previously, they claimed the second position and won a silver medal back in 2011.

Kentaro Fukuda scored the opener for Japan in the ninth minute but Pakistan Hanan Shahid neutralized the lead in the next minute with a superb field goal.

Pakistan dominated the opponents in the second quarter as Arbaz Ahmed netted the ball on a penalty corner in the 17th minute before Rooman took the lead to 3-1, four minutes clear of half-time.

After Yuma Nagai cut Pakistan’s advantage to one goal in the 30th minute, Rooman scored his second goal four minutes later to wrestle to take Green Shirts at ease.

In the last quarter, Japan made an excellent comeback as Nagai clawed in with another field goal in the 49th minute before Pakistan’s Abdul Rana sailed his side home.

It is worth mentioning here that Umer-Bhutta led side finished in the fourth position in the round-robin stage of the tournament featuring six teams.

The final of the event will be held today between the hosts Malaysia and Korea on November 10 (Thursday).

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DHAKA: Pakistan and Japan were held to a 0-0 draw in their first match of the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy.

Pakistan’s first outing of the event could not conclude result as both the teams failed to score a goal.

Pakistan’s goalkeeper, Mazhar Arshad, adjudged as the Man of the match for his brilliant performance.

Recently, the goal keeper faced the visa issuance problem and joined the squad late, yesterday.

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