New Zealand Defeat Pakistan 4-2 in Hockey World Cup Classification Match
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
AMSTELVEEN: Pakistan’s hopes of finishing ninth at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup came to an end after New Zealand secured a 4-2 victory in the 9th-16th place classification match at Wagener Stadium on Monday.
New Zealand started strongly and opened the scoring just 20 seconds into the match. Dylan Thomas found the net with a field goal to give his team an early advantage.
Pakistan struggled to respond during the opening quarter and conceded two more goals in the second period. Scott Boyde scored in the 16th minute before George Baker added another six minutes later, giving New Zealand a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Pakistan Fight Back
Pakistan returned from the halftime break with a much stronger performance.
Sufyan Khan pulled one goal back in the 33rd minute, giving Pakistan renewed hope. Five minutes later, Afraz scored again to reduce the deficit to 3-2.
New Zealand responded in the fourth quarter when Kane Russell converted a penalty corner in the 49th minute, restoring his team’s two-goal advantage.
Pakistan continued to push for another comeback in the final stages, but New Zealand’s defence held firm until the final whistle.
Pakistan to Face South Africa
The victory moved New Zealand to the top of Pool G with nine points and secured a place in the ninth-place playoff against Ireland at Belfius Hockey Arena in Belgium on Friday.
Pakistan will now play South Africa in the 11th/12th place match at Wagener Stadium on Friday.
Pakistan had earlier missed out on the main round knockout stage after losing to England and India and drawing 3-3 against Wales, collecting one point from those matches.
The national team then secured a memorable 4-3 victory over Japan in its first classification match on Saturday.
That win ended Pakistan’s long wait for a World Cup victory. The team’s previous win at the global tournament had come against Spain in the 2010 edition.
Despite the latest defeat, Pakistan will have another opportunity to finish the tournament on a positive note when it takes on South Africa in the final classification match.
