Pakistan secured a spot in the Junior Hockey Asia Cup final after a thrilling 4-2 victory over Japan on Tuesday. Hannan Shahid played a pivotal role, scoring twice to help Pakistan advance to the decider.
The match, held in Oman, was a thrilling back-and-forth contest. Pakistan took the lead in the 27th minute through Hannan Shahid’s opening goal. However, Japan responded quickly with Tsubasa Tanaka finding the net to level the score.
In the second half, Pakistan regained the advantage in the 38th minute when Basharat Ali converted a penalty corner. But Japan wasn’t ready to give up and equalized once again through Rakusei Yamanaka early in the third quarter.
It was Hannan Shahid who struck once more in the 48th minute, putting Pakistan back in front. Mohammad Sufyan sealed the victory for Pakistan, scoring in the 52nd minute to ensure their 4-2 triumph.
Pakistan will now face arch-rivals India in the final on Wednesday, after India defeated Malaysia 3-1 in the other semi-final. The eagerly anticipated clash between the two nations is set to be a thrilling conclusion to the tournament.
