Pakistan End 16-Year Hockey World Cup Drought with Nail-Biting 4-3 Victory Over Japan

Green Shirts fail to qualify for the next round but secure a dramatic 4-3 victory over Japan in the classification match in Amstelveen, marking Pakistan’s first FIH Hockey World Cup win since 2010

Sports Desk

AMSTELVEEN: In a historic moment, Pakistan secured their first International Hockey Federation (FIH) Men’s Hockey World Cup win in 16 years on Saturday, beating Japan 4-3 in a nail-biting 9th-to-16th-place classification match here at the Wagener Stadium.

The Green Shirts, featuring in their first World Cup after an eight-year hiatus, had a disappointing run in the main round as they suffered defeats against England and arch-rival India and managed just one point, courtesy of a 3-3 draw against Wales.

Consequently, Pakistan failed to qualify for the next round of the mega event and, as per the tournament format, participated in their first classification match and locked horns with Japan.

The fixture got off to a contrasting start as Japan netted two goals in the first quarter through Hyota Yamada and Kaito Tanaka. Pakistan eventually pulled one back in the second quarter through Rana Waheed Ashraf and reduced Japan's lead to 2-1, which remained intact until halftime.

Ashraf struck again just two minutes into the penultimate quarter, while Muhammad Hammadudin struck the following minute to put Pakistan into the lead. Japan, however, were quick to respond as Koji Yamasaki scored two minutes later to make it 3-3.

Hannan Shahid eventually scored the tie-breaker for Pakistan in the 40th minute, which ultimately proved decisive as neither side managed to find the back of the net until the final whistle. For the unversed, the enthralling 4-3 victory marked Pakistan's first in the FIH Hockey World Cup since their 2-1 triumph over Spain in the 2010 edition and thus ended their 16-year drought.

Notably, the Green Shirts had failed to qualify for the mega event in 2014, while they remained winless in the 2018 edition. Saturday’s triumph, though not the ultimate prize, provides a much-needed morale boost for a nation that once dominated world hockey with four World Cup titles.