U18 hockey test series: Pakistan draw opener against Oman

Juniors’ matches taking place in Lahore’s National Hockey Stadium

KARACHI: Pakistan’s opening match of their U18 hockey test series against Oman ended in a 2-2 draw at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore yesterday.

The match between the junior sides remained goalless until Pakistan scored through Waqar Ali in the last minute of the first half to take the lead.

As the second half began, Pakistan continued to attack and doubled their lead in the 37th minute of the game courtesy Naveed Alam’s field goal.

Oman fought back and scored their first goal in the 39th minute as Fahad Hassan alLawati struck to bring down the lead to 2-1. Pakistan kept their defence strong until the last two minutes of the game, with Lawati breaking through and levelling the match in the 58th minute.

Pakistan manager and head coach Kamran Ashraf said he was not satisfied by the result and the team’s performance.

“They are capable of doing more than they did today, but as it was their first international outing so they were a bit under pressure,” Ashraf told The Express Tribune. “We created more chances but were unable to convert them into goals.”

On the other hand, Oman coach Yousufi Darwish Al Siyabi was content with his charges. “It’s a good result for us against a strong team like Pakistan,” he said. “The boys followed the plan well to attack on the counter,” he said, adding that the physical fitness of the youngsters also spoke volumes as they did not lose stamina until the last minute.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2016.

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