In the ongoing 30th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 in Ipoh, Malaysia, Abu Bakar Mahmood, the only goal scorer, led the Green Shirts to a 1-1 tie against the Kiwis on Friday despite the tension-filled match.
Pakistan’s victory over Canada on Wednesday guaranteed them a spot in the final. In the event final, which takes place tomorrow (Saturday), the Green Shirts will play Japan.
Because neither team was able to convert the opportunities they produced, the game ended in a draw at the half.
Luke Holmes’ field goal gave New Zealand the lead in the 35th minute, but Abu Bakar Mahmood’s penalty corner goal eight minutes later gave Pakistan the equalizer.
Pakistan finished the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup round robin stage undefeated after three victories and two draws in five games. The only games they lost were to New Zealand and Japan.
Pakistan’s achievement in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup ought to increase team confidence, particularly because the team must also compete in the FIH Nations Cup, which takes place in Gniezno, Poland, from May 31 to June 9.
The Nations Cup is significant because the victorious team will get to compete in the 2024–2025 FIH Hockey Pro League.
Before, forward Abdul Hannan Shahid discussed Pakistan’s opponents in the championship game and mentioned how strong Japan’s defense is. In as many games, Japan has only given up four goals, the fewest in the competition thus far.
He declared, “Japan plays very solid defense and doesn’t give their opponents many opportunities.” “They may not be as inventive as some of the other teams when it comes to attack, but they are very good at exploiting their opponents’ errors on the field.”
Pakistan has been scoring a lot of goals, but we are also giving up goals on the opposite side. In the upcoming games, we will work to address our defensive shortcomings, he continued.
Japan will play the hosts, Canada. Korea and Malaysia will face off in the final games of the day.
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