A nervy Pakistan stayed in the hunt for a semifinal spot in the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Chennai on Monday. They beat China 2-1 thanks to goals from Muhammad Khan and Afraz.
China are out of the running for a semis berth.
In another match, Malaysia defeated Japan 3-1 to enter the semis.
The first quarter of the Pakistan-China match saw no goals but each side got a few chances. Pakistan even got a couple of penalty corners but could not convert them. Both sides had a chance to score in open play but once again that did not lead to any goals.
The wait ended in the second quarter. Five minutes in and Pakistan were given a penalty corner. This time, Muhammad Khan converted and his side had its nose ahead.
China disputed the goal with a video referral for dangerous height, but the TV umpire ruled it in favour of Pakistan.
Pakistan were in flow now, and made a couple of more chances for themselves. China were just trying to stay in the game at this point. Pakistan again got a penalty corner, but the score stayed 1-0 going into half-time.
After the break China seemed refreshed and determined. Two minutes after the resumption, they got a penalty corner. Jiesheng Gao was on target and the teams were level again.
The goal seemed to rattle Pakistan slightly. Ahtisham Aslam picked up a yellow card, while Abdul Rehman got a green card.
But in the 39th minute, Pakistan went back in the lead. Captain Umar Bhutta and Abdul Rana stitched up some nice passes before Afraz directed it into the goal.
China now put everything into trying to find an equalizer, as time was running out for them. They retained more of the possession. But Pakistan, pressing high, held on to their lead and took a full three points from the encounter.
Next up for Pakistan is the much-awaited clash against hosts and arch-rivals India on Wednesday. China play Japan in their final game.
