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Asian Hockey Champions Trophy: Defending champions Pakistan off to losing start

Greenshirts lost 4-2 to hosts Malaysia, India thump Japan in second match

Nabil Tahir October 21, 2016

Pakistan skipper Fareed Ahmed admitted they were unable to come to terms with a four-minute salvo that saw Malaysia equalise and then retake the lead in a closely fought clash. PHOTO COURTESY: ASIAN HOCKEY FEDERATION

KARACHI: Defending champions Pakistan lost the opening match of the fourth Asian Hockey Champions Trophy against hosts Malaysia 4-2 in Kuantan yesterday.

Five of six goals came from penalty corners while Malaysia scored one of theirs via a penalty stroke.

The match was an open contest from the get-go and Malaysia took the lead in the 13th minute when a penalty corner was converted in the 13th minute by Firhan Ashari.

Pakistan’s Aleem Bilal duplicated the trick for his team when he smashed an 18th minute penalty corner into the top corner to make it 1-1 at half-time.

Irfan Sr blunder forces captain change

The Greenshirts took the lead in the third quarter, with Bilal again converting from a penalty corner to make it 2-1.

Just three minutes later, Faizal Saari scored from a Malaysian penalty stroke to make it 2-2 in the 37th minute.

And just four minutes later they struck again, with Shahril Saabah on hand to convert a penalty corner and give Malaysia the lead once again.

The hosts were hanging onto their lead but made sure of the points when Saabah scored in the final minute to make it 4-2.

Stand-in captain Fareed Ahmed, leading the line in Muhammad Irfan’s absence, said the team played well but couldn’t handle the pressure once Malaysia equalised.

Pakistan claim bronze with 18-0 win

“When we scored two goals, we had the confidence to win the match but they scored twice in quick succession,” Ahmed told The Express Tribune. “They turned the game on its head in just seven minutes and we couldn’t deal with that.”

The skipper also bemoaned his side’s profligacy. “We missed a lot of chances and that ultimately cost us — we have to overcome these mistakes if we are to win the upcoming matches and make it into the final four.”

India flex muscle against Japan

India showed why many people are considering them the favourites for this year’s edition as they smashed 10 goals against last edition’s runners-up Japan, who pulled two back once India had taken their foot off the pedal.

Indian skipper Rupinder Pal Singh was in particular ruthless mood as he grabbed himself six goals, all from penalty corners.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2016.

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