Pakistan juniors defy odds to win tournament

Defeat New South Wales State 3-2 in final to clinch gold medal

KARACHI: Pakistan’s junior hockey team defeated New South Wales State (NSWS) 3-2 in the final of Australian U18 Junior Hockey Championship to clinch gold on Saturday.

Pakistan lost against the same opposition when the two sides last met in pool matches and because of that seemed to be under pressure and therefore started the match on a defensive note.

However, it took them only 13 minutes to settle in and take control of the game when Naveed Alam finished a spectacular move to give his side the lead.

NSWS replied with some shots on target but to no avail.

Pakistan, on the other hand, upped the ante and put pressure on their opponents and that paid dividends as by the 24^th minute, the Colts were 2-0 up.

And that was how the first half ended.

The second half saw Pakistan extend their lead in the 44^th minute to make it 3-0. And just when it looked as if Pakistan would canter away with the win, NSWS won a penalty stroke and made it 3-1 by the 48^th minute when Ehren Hazell converted.

Pakistan were now in complete defensive mode and allowed NSWS to attack which resulted in another goal by the latter when Daine Richards found the target in the 65^th minute.

However, that was too little too late and Pakistan were able to see off the remainder of the match to clinch gold.

“This is a great achievement and a bonus for us. We came here to gain experience and now the boys have also won the championship,” head coach Kamran Ashraf told The Express Tribune from Hobart. “NSWS had a lot of international junior players and to beat them is a great achievement. In the last match we lost to this team but the fact that we were able to defeat them shows that the boys have learnt their lesson well.”

Ashraf went on to praise the players and reserved special praise for the spirit they showed throughout the tournament. “The energy in the boys is immeasurable; the way they played throughout the championship is remarkable. This attitude will take these players to great heights and one day they will be representing the Pakistan national team,” he added.

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Sr also showered praise on the youngsters’ achievement. “Our main motive was to provide international exposure to the players who have been included for the first time in the team. But the way they played is incredible,” he said.