PHOTO: REUTERS
The Colts, having defeated New Zealand 5-2 and drawn 2-2 against England in the first two matches of the tournament, were high on confidence and aggressive to begin with; testing Malaysia’s defences from the word go.
Their efforts bore fruit as Pakistan won their first penalty corner in the seventh minute which Abu Bakr successfully converted to give his side the lead. Skipper Muhammad Dilber Hussain then made it 2-0 with a field goal in the 20th minute of the match.
Pakistan juniors cruise through against NZ
The goal seemed to wake the hosts up who increased the intensity of their attacks and were rewarded for their efforts when Najmi Farizal pulled one back for his side in the 25th minute through a penalty corner.
But that was all Pakistan were willing to offer.
Shan Irshad made it 3-1 five minutes later to snuff out any hopes the hosts had of a comeback, while Samiullah completed the rout when he found the back of the net in the 39th minute as Pakistan ended the match 4-1.
The Colts will now face Australia tomorrow; both teams have seven points with two wins and a draw while Australia are leading the table with a better goal difference, with the Kangaroos defeating New Zealand 9-1 in their own match.
Drawing level: Colts leave it late
Pakistan captain Dilber said the win was a ‘real morale-booster’ for the team.
“Malaysia are more experienced than us, so we were expecting to be given a tough time. However, the way the team played, we didn’t allow Malaysia to get into their groove,” he told The Express Tribune. “The win was a real morale-booster as the next assignment is a tough one. Australia are in great form and we need to be at our best to defeat them.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2016.
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