KUALA LUMPUR: The Pakistan hockey team’s sensational run in the ongoing Junior Hockey World Cup came to an end with a disappointing 4-2 defeat against Spain on Tuesday.
The national team got off to a good start in their quarter-final clash against Spain as they were 1-0 up in the first quarter, courtesy of captain Hanan Shahid’s goal.
Pakistan’s narrow lead persisted till half-time but Spain made a sensational comeback in the third quarter.
The European side struck three goals from penalty corners and one field goal to attain a heavy lead over Pakistan.
Sufyan Khan pulled one back for Pakistan in the 43rd minute but his efforts were not enough as Spain registered a thumping 4-2 victory over Pakistan.
Cabre Verdiell scored twice for Spain while Aleix Bozal and Pablo Espino scored one each.
Pakistan Hockey team had a successful run in the group stage before falling short against Spain in the quarter-final. They made it to the knockouts after holding Belgium for a 1-1 draw.
Pakistan hockey team kicked off their Junior World Cup campaign with an impressive draw against the Netherlands 3-3 on December 06.
Pakistan team followed the first match draw with a thumping 4-0 victory over New Zealand courtesy of Arshad Liaqat’s hat-trick in the next match.
Pakistan will now take on Australia in the 5th-place playoff match on December 14.
For the unversed, Pakistan won the inaugural Junior World Cup in 1979 and then claimed bronze medals in the next three editions before getting a silver in the 1993 edition.
They have not been able to win any medal in the Junior World Cup since 1993 and finished at their lowest 11th position in the 2021 edition in Bhubaneswar, India.
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BARCELONA: Pakistan Men’s Hockey Team sealed an astonishing 4-1 victory over the home side of Spain in the first match of the two-match series, here on Tuesday.
Pakistan started the two-match series on a high as the side secured a comprehensive victory over the better-ranked Spain.
The green shirts completely dominated the first half of the match as the side scored three goals, while the home side remained unable to net the ball once.
Rizwan scored the first goal for Pakistan in the first quarter of the game through a short corner. Ijaz Ali then scored the third field goal for Pakistan in the second quarter which resulted in Pakistan taking a three-goal lead over Spain.
The two teams remained involved in a hard-fought second half of the match with both scoring a goal each and the green shirts, in the end, claimed a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Spain. Roman made the fourth strike for the men in green.
It’s worth noting that the two teams will now face off in the second match of the series on May 4.
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LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced the 20-men national squad for the upcoming tour to Europe.
The 20-men squad of Pakistan, led by Umar Bhutta has been announced after the approval of President PHF Khalid Sajjad Khokhar for an important prior to the Asian Games.
The side will fly to Europe with two goalkeepers Akmal and Abdullah Ishtiaq.
The green shirts will depart for the Netherlands tomorrow to play one match against the home side, scheduled on April 26. The green shirts will undergo a three-day training session before the match.
Pakistan will take on the Netherlands in two matches, and will play one against Belgium, and three against Spain.
Pakistan Squad:
Goalkeepers: Akmal, Abdullah Ishtiaq
Defenders: Mubashir Ali, Amad Shakeel Butt, Mohammad Abdullah, Arbaz Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Hammad Anjum
Forwards: Umar Bhutta (c), Ali Shan, Ghazanfar, Moin Shakeel, Abdul Mannan, Junaid Manzoor, Roman Khan, Abubakar Mahmood, Rana Waheed, Salman Raziq, Hannan Shahid, Ajaz
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