India Defeat Pakistan to Retain Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship Title

Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail

India successfully defended their Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship title after defeating Pakistan 3-1 in the final held in Muscat, Oman.

The victory completed an unbeaten campaign for India against Pakistan during the tournament and secured back-to-back championship success.

India Takes Control in the Final

India opened the scoring just over four minutes into the match when Romit Pal found the net to give his side an early advantage.

Pakistan continued to push for an equalizer but entered the break trailing by one goal.

In the final quarter, India extended their lead through Ketan Kushwaha, who scored in the 12th minute. A minute later, Shahrukh Ali added a third goal to strengthen India’s position.

Pakistan responded with a goal from Mohammad Usman in the 16th minute, but India maintained its lead until the final whistle to secure a 3-1 victory.

Earlier Meeting in the Tournament

The two teams had also faced each other during the group stage, where India recorded a 7-3 win.

In that match, Ketan Kushwaha scored twice, while Rahul Yadav, Shahrukh Ali, Prahalad Rajbhar, Romit Pal, and Karan Gautam each added one goal. Pakistan’s goals came from Adeel, who scored twice, and Mohammad Usman.

Pakistan’s Journey to the Final

Pakistan began its campaign with a 5-0 victory over hosts Oman, followed by a 5-2 win against Bangladesh.

The team later defeated Oman 7-3 in their second meeting before playing out a 2-2 draw with Bangladesh in the final group-stage fixture.

Those results helped Pakistan finish second in the standings, earning a place in the championship final against India.

Despite falling short in the title match, Pakistan completed a competitive tournament by reaching the final and securing the runner-up position in the Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship.