Pakistan plays its third match against New Zealand on Wednesday
\n Kuala Lumpur
\nPakistan beat Japan on Monday, scoring 3-2 in their second match of the FIH Nations Cup at National Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
\nPakistan staged a comeback after trailing 2-1 to secure the win against Japan.
\nGhazanfar Ali gave Pakistan an early lead with a goal in the first quarter. However, Japan equalised just one minute later through a goal by Kazumasa.
\nTwo minutes after that, Koji Yamasaki scored to put Japan in the lead.
\nBy the end of the first quarter, Japan was leading 2-1. No goals were scored by either team in the second quarter.
\nIn the third quarter, Pakistan\u2019s Rana Waheed Ashraf scored to level the match at 2-2.
\nIn the final quarter, Sufiyan Khan converted a penalty corner into a goal, giving Pakistan the lead once again. Sufiyan\u2019s decisive goal secured a 3-2 victory for Pakistan. Pakistan would play its third group match of the event against New\u202fZealand on Wednesday at the same venue. A day earlier, Pakistan and Malaysia played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in their opening match of the FIH Nations Cup on Sunday, despite Pakistan holding the lead twice during the match.
\nAhmed Nadeem and Abdul Rehman gave Pakistan an early advantage with two quick goals in the first quarter, helping their side head into the fourth quarter with a commanding 2-0 lead.
\nHowever, Malaysia bounced back with two goals in quick succession in the final quarter, levelling the score. Fitri Saari and Syed Cholan were on target for the Malaysians.
\nPakistan regained the lead when Rana Waheed Ashraf found the net, but Malaysia responded just two minutes later with another equaliser by Cholan, his 2nd goal of the match, to make it 3-3.
\nIt is pertinent to mention that the tournament\u2019s format includes preliminary pool matches, with the top teams advancing to the semi-finals on June 20 and the final and bronze medal matches scheduled for June 21.
\nThe eight participating teams are split into two pools for the preliminary rounds, Pool A consists of France, Korea, South Africa, and Wales, while Pool B features Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Pakistan.
\nThe FIH Hockey Nations Cup serves as a crucial stepping stone for teams aiming to qualify for the elite FIH Hockey Pro League. The winner of this tournament will earn promotion to the 2025\u201326 Pro League season.
\nPakistan squad for Nations Cup:
\nAmmad Butt (captain), Rana Waheed (vice captain), Muneer-ur-Rehman, Abdullah Ishtiaq, Mohammad Abdullah, Mohammad Sufyan Khan, Abdul Manan, Hamad Anjum, Arshad Liaquat, Moeen Shakeel, Zakrya Hayat, Ghazanfar Ali, Salman Razaq, Junaid Manzoor, Afraz Khan, Abdul Rehman, Ahmed Nadeem and Mohibullah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan plays its third match against New Zealand on Wednesday Kuala Lumpur Pakistan beat Japan on Monday, scoring 3-2 in their second match of the FIH Nations Cup at National Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. Pakistan staged a comeback after trailing 2-1 to secure the win against Japan. Ghazanfar Ali gave Pakistan an early lead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":484746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-484730","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n