Pak reach U-18 Asia Cup hockey final

Express Tribune

5 hours ago

Pakistan players sing their national anthem ahead of their Men's U-18 Hockey Asia Cup 2025 semifinal against Malaysia at the Dazhou National Hockey Training Centre in Dazhou on Friday. photo: afp
Pakistan have advanced to the final of the Men's U18 Asia Cup 2025 following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Malaysia in the semifinal at the National Hockey Training Centre in Dazhou, China, on Friday.
The tightly contested match concluded in a shootout after both teams remained deadlocked during regular play. In a tense finish, the Green Shirts held their nerve to secure a 4-3 win in the penalty shootout.
Pakistan capitalised on the pressure, with Malaysia missing two crucial attempts during the decisive shootout, while the Green Shirts only failed to score once.
The victory caps a remarkable run for the young Pakistani squad, which has shown exceptional form throughout the tournament. They began their campaign with a resounding 8-0 win over Hong Kong, followed by a crushing 9-0 victory against Sri Lanka.
In their third match, they defeated Bangladesh 6-3, virtually securing a place in the semifinals.
In the quarterfinals, Pakistan outclassed China 2-1 in a commanding performance to seal a place among the final four.
It is pertinent to mention that the Green Shirts will face Japan in the grand finale of the tournament on Sunday at the same venue.
Pak beat China in quarter-final
Earlier, continuing their unbeaten run in the U-18 Asia Cup 2025, Pakistan secured a commanding 2-1 victory over China to qualify for the semi-finals.
The Green Shirts got off to a flying start to the high-stakes clash as Hassan Shahbaz netted the opener in just the 11th minute through a field goal.
The scoreline remained intact at 1-0 until halftime despite four penalties shared between the two teams in an eventful second quarter.
The goal drought eventually culminated late in the third quarter when Ali Hanzala doubled Pakistan's lead through another well-executed field goal.
China, however, were quick to pull one back as Jiaxing Lin converted a penalty corner in the same minute.
The hosts then made several efforts to net the equaliser but Pakistan goalkeeper Ghulam Mustafa denied them any chance of forcing their way back into the game, ensuring the scoreline remained intact at 2-1.
The victory extended Pakistan's unbeaten run to four matches as they topped Group A standings with 12 points and a goal difference of 21, scoring 25, while conceding only four.
The Green Shirts will face Malaysia in the semi-final, scheduled to be played at the same venue on Friday.
Pakistan started their Men's U18 Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a ruthless 8-0 victory over Hong Kong before routing Sri Lanka 9-0.
They then faced Bangladesh in their third match and prevailed 6-3, which had put them within touching distance of semi-final qualification.
Squad:
Mohammad Usman, Atif Ali, Asam Junaid, Mohammad Abdullah Farooq, Abdullah Awan, Zubair Lateef, Mohammad Yaseen, Mohammad Ali Taj, Ghulam Mustafa, Ali Hamza, Ali Hamzad, Aamir Sohail, Adeel Afzal, Mohammad Zaman, Mohammad Hussain, Mohammad Shaheer, Hasan Shahbaz, Yaseen Jamshaid
Team Management:
Shafqat Malik (Manager), Mukhtar Ahmed, Touseeq Ahmed, Masood-ur-Rahman (Coaches).