Moqi, 11 September 2024 (TDI): Pakistan defeated Japan 2-1 to register their first win in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2024 at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulun Buir, China on Wednesday.
Unbeaten Pakistan played valiantly and took a 2-0 lead in the second quarter of the game. Ahmad Nadeem and Sufyan Khan scored the two goals for Pakistan. However, Japan bounced back at the end of the second quarter when Raiki Fujishima (28′) converted a penalty corner in the 28th minute of the game.
Japan made several attempts in the next two rounds but, the Pakistan defenders did not let them succeed.
The win alleviates Pakistan to the second spot in the pool with five points just behind India.
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Pakistan entered the game placed third due to two consecutive 2-2 draws against Malaysia and Korea. They needed a win against Japan to stay in the race for the title.
Knowing the importance of this game, Pakistan showed intent from the word go with three early forays in the first couple of minutes.
After a couple of attempts, Ahmed Nadeem drew the first blood for Pakistan in the tenth minute of the game, before Sufyan Khan doubled the lead in the 21st minute.
The Green Shirts maintained the lead for most of the first two quarters before an infringement by a Pakistani defender provided Japan with a penalty corner in the 27th minute. Japanese skipper Raiki Fujishima made full use of the opportunity to score the first goal for his side.
In the next two quarters, both sides played aggressively and made several goal attempts. Pakistan made seven circle entries, while Japan made six, but none succeeded.
Pakistan’s defence showed resilience in the final quarter denying Japan’s 12 penalty corners. Japan dominated the ball possession in the final quarter, but could not get past Pakistan’s defences.
