After back-to-back draws against Malaysia and Korea, Pakistan finally registered their first victory of the tournament when they beat Japan 2-1 in their third match of the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 at Moqi Training Base in Hulunbuir, China on Wednesday. (More Hockey News)
The game witnessed Pakistan's first goal within 10 minutes of the start. Ahmad Nadeem opened the scoring for Pakistan with a stunning finish. Shahid Hannan made a fantastic run, setting up Nadeem to put the ball in the back of the net with a sharp strike.
Japan struggled in the first quarter as Pakistan Ammad Butt's team dominated and ended the first quarter with a lead. Then they went on to double the lead in the second quarter.
Sufyan Khan pulled off a stunning drag flick to score brilliantly and capitalize on the penalty corner in the sixth minute of the second quarter. Japan struggled to find their rhythm, both on the pitch and in front of the net. The game was slipping away from them as Pakistan took control.
But Japan also started their counter-attack and capitalized on their second penalty corner as captain Raiki Fujishima pulled one back with a precise drag flick. The score was Japan 1-2 Pakistan at the half-time.
Japan started the third quarter with a referral for a back stick, resulting in a crucial penalty corner. However, they missed the net, with Pakistan’s goalkeeper making a strong save, keeping them at bay.
In the second half, Pakistan's defence was strong and prevented Japanese players from scoring any more goals. Although Pakistan had conceded two goals in each of their matches against Korea and Malaysia, they learned from their mistakes and limited Japan to just one goal in the match.
With this win, Pakistan are second on the points table after India. Japan are at the bottom with only one point in three matches.
