Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
\n Malaysia
\nJapan defeated Pakistan in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in a penalty shootout on Saturday after the game between the two Asian sides ended in a draw in normal time.
\nThe Japanese side drew first blood against Pakistan as they opened the scoring in the first half after the latter\u2019s weak defence let in the Japanese forward from the left wing.
\nPakistan drew level in and then took the lead against Japan in the second half, turning the tie around with two goals in quick succession.
\nThe Japanese side then equalised late to send the game to a penalty shootout.
\nJapan won the tie as they converted all four penalties in the shootout while Pakistan only managed one out of three.
\nThe Pakistan hockey team played in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 final after a gap of 13 years.
\nThe finalists had already been decided before the last round of matches was played and Japan\u2019s 3-1 win over Canada saw them finish two points above Paki\u00adstan in the table.
\nThe final of the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament was played in Ipoh, Malaysia.
\nPakistan continued their then-unbeaten run at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup with a creditable 1-1 draw against New Zealand in their last round-robin mat\u00adch yesterday.
\nPakistan and Japan had played out a 1-1 draw in their round-robin encounter and Pakistan\u2019s coach Roelant Oltmans expected another tight match in the final.
\n\u201cJapan have neither scored many goals nor conceded many. They are a good side,\u201d Oltmans told reporters after the ma\u00adtch against New Zealand.
\n\u201cWe need to open them up. We have the players to do it, but it will not be easy. They are compact and organised defensively.\u201d
\nPakistan fell behind to Paris Olympics-bound New Zealand when Luke Hol\u00admes scored in the 35th minute but kept their unbeaten run intact thanks to Abu Bakr Mahmood\u2019s penalty corner conversion eight minutes later.
\n\u201cThe first half was New Zealand\u2019s and the second half was ours,\u201d Oltmans told reporters.
\n\u201cOur start was not good and we conceded two penalty comers in the first minute.
\n\u201cBut this cannot happen in the final against Japan. The players did very well in this tournament but I am not satisfied with our performances in the first half. We were terrible in ball possession. We lost it even before can could even dominate the game. It is not the way we should play. The boys came out really good and we created penalty corner opportunities. We managed to score even with one player less,\u201d he said.
\nThe government and the nation expressed their best wishes for the team in the final and had hoped for a victorious outcome.
\nPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the side for making it to the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament final after 13 years.
\nIn a post on X, the premier said he was looking forward to today\u2019s match, adding that the renewed interest in hockey throughout Pakistan signalled a promising trend for the future.
\nPunjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed her best wishes for the Pakistan side.
\n\u201cPakistan will emerge victorious in the final against Japan. The team\u2019s performance captured the nation\u2019s attention, and hopes are high for a triumphant outcome.\u201d Maryam said.
\n\u201cPakistanis are fervently praying for victory,\u201d she added.
\nBalochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti had also commended the team for their previously undefeated record.
\n\u201cInsha\u2019Allah, Pakistan will win the final match; the Pakistani hockey team deserves recognition for making it to the championship game after 13 years,\u201d he said.
\nThe government made special arrangements to broadcast the match live for the public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Malaysia Japan defeated Pakistan in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in a penalty shootout on Saturday after the game between the two Asian sides ended in a draw in normal time. The Japanese side drew first blood against Pakistan as they opened the scoring in the first half after the latter\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406445,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-406433","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n