Pakistan’s under-18 hockey side extended their unbeaten run at the U-18 Hockey Asia Cup on Tuesday, overpowering Bangladesh 6-3 in a pulsating Group A clash at the Dazhou National Hockey Training Centre.
The first half delivered end-to-end action, with both teams locked at 3-3 by the break following an aggressive exchange of goals.
But it was all Pakistan in the second half, as the Green Shirts took firm control with a flurry of attacks, netting three unanswered goals while shutting down Bangladesh’s offence. The match ended 6-3 in Pakistan’s favour.
For Pakistan, Abdullah Awan and Hanzala Ali scored two goals each, while Atif Ali and Asim scored one goal each.
With this victory, Pakistan now leads Group A with a perfect record of nine points from three matches. The team has been in formidable form, scoring a total of 23 goals while conceding only three in the tournament so far.
Earlier in the competition, Pakistan delivered two commanding performances crushing Hong Kong 8-0 and outclassing Sri Lanka with another 9-0 triumph.
The U18 Hockey Asia Cup features teams from 11 nations, including China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Kazakhstan.
Pakistan has been placed in Pool A alongside China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong, while Pool B includes Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei.
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)
