Pakistan End 16-Year Wait for Hockey World Cup Victory

Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail

Pakistan have ended a 16-year wait for a Hockey World Cup victory after defeating Japan 4-3 in their classification match at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in Amstelveen.

The win came in the 9th to 16th place classification stage at the Wagener Stadium, giving the Green Shirts their first World Cup victory since 2010.

Pakistan Beat Japan in Exciting Match

Japan made a strong start and scored twice in the opening quarter through Hyota Yamada and Kaito Tanaka.

Pakistan responded in the second quarter when Rana Waheed Ashraf found the net to reduce Japan’s lead to 2-1 before halftime.

Ashraf scored again early in the third quarter to level the match. A minute later, Muhammad Hammadudin put Pakistan ahead.

Japan quickly responded through Koji Yamasaki to make the score 3-3.

The decisive moment came in the 40th minute when Hannan Shahid scored Pakistan’s fourth goal. Neither team managed to score again, allowing Pakistan to secure a memorable 4-3 victory.

First World Cup Win Since 2010

Pakistan’s victory ended a 16-year drought at the Hockey World Cup.

Their previous World Cup win came in the 2010 tournament, when Pakistan defeated Spain 2-1.

The national team did not qualify for the 2014 edition and remained without a victory during the 2018 tournament.

Pakistan Miss Main Round

Despite the victory over Japan, Pakistan were unable to qualify for the next stage of the 2026 World Cup.

The Green Shirts lost their matches against England and their traditional rivals, while a 3-3 draw against Wales gave them one point in the group stage.

As a result, Pakistan entered the classification matches for teams finishing outside the main knockout round.

The win over Japan will nevertheless provide encouragement to the team as they continue their campaign in the tournament.