Asian Hockey Champions Trophy: Pakistan’s 2-0 lead falls short in draw against Malaysia

In the first match of the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy, Pakistan and Malaysia played to a 2-2 draw.

The event, currently being held in Heilongjiang, saw Pakistan gain an early 2-0 lead, but they were unable to secure a win in their opening game.

During the match, Pakistani players missed over six penalty corners.

Sufiyan Khan scored the first goal for Pakistan via a penalty corner in the first quarter, and Nadeem Ahmed added a field goal in the second quarter. Malaysia equalized with goals in the third and fourth quarters.

Pakistan's captain, Imran Shaikh Butt, was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance.

Pakistan will play their next match in the tournament against Korea on September 9 at 10:30 AM.

The six teams competing in the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 are India, Malaysia (ranked 13th), Republic of Korea (ranked 14th), Japan (ranked 15th), Pakistan (ranked 16th), and hosts China (ranked 23rd).

One of the most anticipated games, India vs. Pakistan, is scheduled for September 14. Historically, Pakistan leads the head-to-head record with 82 wins to India's 66.

However, India has triumphed in 14 of the last 16 encounters between the two teams.

The tournament will follow a round-robin format, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals. Classification matches will also be held to determine the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth positions.