Malaysia lift the Cup for the first time after defeating South Korea by 3-2
Pakistan beat Asian champion Japan to bag the bronze medal in Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup played in Ipoh, Malaysia .They defeated Japan by 5-3 goals. It is for the first time in 11 years that Pakistan won a medal.
Earlier the national hockey team of Malaysia made history when they lifted the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup for the first time after defeating South Korea 3-2 in a thriller. In the first quarter, Kentaro Fukuda gave Japan the lead in the ninth minute but that was quickly cancelled out by Pakistan’s Hanan Shahid in the 10th minute.
Pakistan scored two goals in the second quarter, one each by Arbaz and Rooman, to take control of the match. Japan threatened to make a comeback, in the third quarter, after Yuma Nagai reduced Pakistan’s lead to one goal in the 30th minute. However, Rooman once again gave Pakistan a two-goal cushion in the 34th minute of the match.
In the final quarter, Yuma Nagai pulled one back for Japan in the 49th minute but Abdul Rana added another goal for Pakistan three minutes later.
It must be noted that Pakistan finished on the fourth position on the points table, with one win in five games. Pakistan securing a medal in the event is commendable bearing in mind the fact that many experienced players were not part of the squad.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the national hockey team on bagging a bronze medal in the Sultan Azlan Shan Cup and said the nation was proud of their victory.
“I felicitate the Pakistan hockey team on defeating Japan by 5-3 goals in an exciting match and clinching the bronze medal in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup,” he said in a tweet. He said, “Congratulations to the team and the entire nation on the good news from the hockey field.”
Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Haider Hussain has said that Greenshirts’ performance in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2022 proved that hockey is not dying in the country. “One can imagine how much Pakistan would have lost had we not sent the Green-shirts to Malaysia,” said Haider.
“Despite meager resources, PHF managed to send the team to Malaysia through sponsorship. Now the real face of Pakistan hockey has emerged through the marvelous performance of Pakistan’s young and talented team,” he said.
“Pakistan team proved that they are capable of challenging strong teams of hockey world if given proper time for training and chances of participation in international competitions,” he added.
