https://arab.news/8ntvt
- Tournament started on Sunday with six continental heavyweights going head-to-head in China
- Six nations participating are India, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Japan, Pakistan and hosts China
ISLAMABAD: Unbeaten Pakistan bagged their first victory in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy by beating Japan 2-1 here at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulun Buir, China, on Wednesday, the International Hockey Federation (IHF) said.
From the Pakistan side, Ahmad Nadeem and Sufyan Khan netted one goal each while Japan’s Raiki Fujishima scored one goal. Pakistan will now lock horns with host China tomorrow, Friday.
“We are happy to walk away with the winning points,” Khan was quoted as saying in an IHF statement.
“Our Coach’s instructions was to not make errors, in the first two matches we got too many cards that cost us dearly. We wanted to play a disciplined match today and we defended with all our heart. I am also happy to score for my team when we needed it the most.”
With this win, Pakistan is placed second in the pool standings with five points behind India on the top. The much-awaited India vs Pakistan match of the tournament will be played on September 14.
The championship started on Sunday with six continental heavyweights going head-to-head at the Moqi Training Base.
The six nations participating in the Asian Champion Trophy 2024 are India, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Japan Pakistan and hosts China.
India are the most successful side in the Asian Champions Trophy, having won it four times. They enter the 2024 edition as the defending champions, having beaten Malaysia 4-3 in the final in Chennai last year.