After the semifinal heartbreak, Pakistan bounced back with a resounding 5-2 victory over Korea to secure a bronze medal at the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey, held at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in the China Daur Ethnic Park Tuesday.
Pakistan had lost the semifinal 2-0 against hosts China on Monday. The game ended in a 1-1 draw in the stipulated time and was decided on penalty shootout.
Both Pakistan and Korea made several attempts but could not score a goal in the first quarter. But, Korea’s Jungjun Lee gave his side a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute of the game.
Korea maintained their lead until the third quarter, before Sufyan Khan and Hannan Shahid netted two consecutive goals in the 38th and 39th minute to put Pakistan ahead.
The lead didn’t last long as Korea’s Jihun Yang scored an equalizer in the 40th minute. However, Pakistan’s Rooman scored again in the 45th minute to finish the third quarter with a lead of 3-2.
With medal on the line, Pakistan launched an all-out attack in the final quarter and managed to net two goals, while maintaining a tight man-to-man marking to minimize Korea’s offensive opportunities.
Sufyan Khan scored his second goal of the game in the 49th minute, while Hannan struck again in the 54th minute to swell Pakistan’s lead 5-2. Shahid’s goal, his sixth of the tournament, was expertly assisted by Rana Waheed Ashraf.
Overall, Pakistan had a decent tournament. They defeated China (5-1) and Japan (2-1) after two consecutive draws against Malaysia (2-2) and Korea (2-2).
In the last pool match, India had defeated Pakistan 2-1.
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