AMSTELVEEN: New Zealand on Monday beat Pakistan 4-2 in the 9th-16th place classification match of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 at Wagener Stadium.
New Zealand got off to a flamboyant start to the fixture as they netted the opener in just 20 seconds, courtesy of a sensational field goal by Dylan Thomas.
The early lead persisted until the conclusion of the first quarter, while Scott Boyde and George Baker put them in complete control by scoring apiece in the 16th and 22nd minutes, respectively, ensuring they went into halftime with a three-goal advantage.
Pakistan ultimately offered a notable fightback in the penultimate quarter, with Sufyan Khan and Afraz scoring in the 33rd and 38th minutes, respectively, bringing the deficit down to one goal.
But Kane Russell restored New Zealand’s lead in the final quarter by successfully converting a penalty corner in the 49th minute.
Although both sides made multiple efforts to score in the dying minutes, they failed, and thus the scoreboard remained intact at 4-2 until the final whistle.
The 4-2 victory meant New Zealand topped the Pool G standings with nine points and will next face Ireland for the ninth-place playoff at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Belgium on Friday.
On the contrary, the outcome of the fixture meant the Green Shirts have run out of contention to finish ninth in the 16-team FIH Hockey World Cup, and will now instead take on South Africa in the 11th/12th position match here at the Wagener Stadium on Friday.
For the unversed, Pakistan had a disappointing run in the main round of the mega event as they suffered defeats against England and arch-rivals 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, played their first classification match against Japan on Saturday and prevailed 4-3.
The 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.
