Pakistan fight back from two-goal deficit to beat Malaysia, win Junior Asia Cup bronze

Pakistan staged a remarkable comeback after trailing by two goals to defeat Malaysia 4-2 and secure the bronze medal at the 2026 Men’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup in Moqi, China, on Sunday.

Malaysia took an early lead, with Adam Ashraf Johari scoring a field goal in the 11th minute before Shafiq Ammar Fahmi Suzaini doubled the advantage through a penalty corner two minutes later.

Pakistan responded strongly after halftime, with Rana Abdul Sami scoring twice through field goals in the 34th and 47th minutes to level the score at 2-2.

The Pakistan side completed the turnaround five minutes later when Muhammad Shaheer converted a penalty corner to put his team 3-2 ahead.

Waleed Rana then sealed the bronze medal for Pakistan in the 56th minute by converting a penalty stroke, completing a four-goal comeback.

The result gave Pakistan a podium finish at the Junior Asia Cup, while Malaysia, who won the title in 2012, finished fourth for the third consecutive edition after similar fourth-place finishes in 2023 and 2024.

Pakistan, Malaysia, India and South Korea have also secured qualification for the 2027 Junior World Cup to be held in India.