France and Korea secure semi-final berths from Pool A
\n Kuala Lumpur
\nPakistan reached the semi-finals of the FIH Nations Cup on Wednesday, following Malaysia\u2019s victory over Japan in their fixture.
\nPakistan\u2019s place in the semis depended on Malaysia\u2019s defeat; yet, Pakistan secured a spot.
\nPakistan secured second position in pool B. Both Pakistan and Malaysia had 4 points, and both had an equal number of wins in the cup. Similarly, both had the same goal difference across their three matches.
\nThe turning point for Pakistan was a greater number of goals scored in the tournament. Pakistan scored nine goals in the tournament, while Malaysia scored eight in total.
\nPakistan and New Zealand match
\nNew Zealand beat Pakistan after Scott Cosslett\u2019s amazing hat-trick led his team to victory in the FIH Nations Cup on Wednesday at the National Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
\nPakistan dominated the opening quarter, racing to a 3-1 lead by the end of the first 15 minutes.
\nAlthough New Zealand struck first through Nic Woods in the sixth minute, Pakistan responded swiftly with two goals in the 13th and 14th minutes, both netted by Abdul Rehman.
\nRana Waheed Ashraf then extended the lead with a third goal in the 28th minute, putting the Green Shirts firmly in control.
\nHowever, New Zealand mounted a strong comeback in the second half. Scott Cosslett emerged as the game-changer, scoring twice in the third quarter\u2014in the 43rd and 45th minutes\u2014to draw level.
\nHe completed his hat-trick in the 52nd minute via a penalty corner, sealing a dramatic turnaround and handing the Kiwis a decisive 4-3 lead.
\nIt is pertinent to mention that Pakistan\u2019s opening match of the tournament, against Malaysia, ended in a 3-3 draw, despite Pakistan taking the lead twice during the game.
\nAhmed Nadeem and Abdul Rehman gave Pakistan an early edge with two quick goals in the first quarter, allowing them to enter the final quarter with a solid 2-0 lead.
\nHowever, Malaysia responded strongly in the fourth quarter, scoring twice in quick succession through Fitri Saari and Syed Cholan to level the score.
\nPakistan briefly regained the lead when Rana Waheed Ashraf found the net, but Malaysia equalised just two minutes later as Cholan struck again, scoring his second goal of the match to make it 3-3.
\nIn their second outing, the Men in Green edged past Japan 3-2 in a thrilling encounter, mounting a comeback after trailing 2-1 to clinch a hard-fought victory.
\nMeanwhile, France and Korea have already confirmed their semi-final berths from Pool A.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
France and Korea secure semi-final berths from Pool A Kuala Lumpur Pakistan reached the semi-finals of the FIH Nations Cup on Wednesday, following Malaysia\u2019s victory over Japan in their fixture. Pakistan\u2019s place in the semis depended on Malaysia\u2019s defeat; yet, Pakistan secured a spot. Pakistan secured second position in pool B. Both Pakistan and Malaysia […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":485204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-485195","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n