Boys Asia Cup: Colts clobber another opponent

China at the wrong end of a drubbing by Pakistan’s U18 hockey players

KARACHI: Two goals each by Amjad Ali and Afraz powered Pakistan U18 hockey team to a 6-0 win over China in their second Pool B fixture of the Boys Under-18 Asia Cup at Maulana Bhashani Hockey Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh yesterday.

Coupled with their 6-1 win over Chinese Taipei in the opening match, the Colts’ latest win lifted them to the top of their group.

The Pakistan boys, against their Chinese counterparts, dominated play from the onset but headed into half-time with only a 1-0 lead. However, they atoned for their profligacy in the second-half, scoring five times in the final 35 minutes to inflict a heavy defeat on another opponent.



In addition to the aforementioned braces, Khairullah and Ali Aziz also got their names on the scoresheet, while the defence also performed admirably against a Chinese offence that had mauled Hong Kong 6-0 in their opening fixture.

“We are doing great here in Bangladesh. The boys are full of confidence and are in full form. China is a strong team but we did not concede any goals, which shows how strong our defence is,” head coach Kamran Ashraf told The Express Tribune. “We have one more group match left against Hong Kong which we can win easily.”



Captain Junaid Manzoor, meanwhile, believes the team’s coherence is the secret to their rich recent form. “We have won the first two matches easily, and the whole team is supporting one another. If we keep this up we can become Asian Champions,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2016.

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