Pakistan hammer China to secure semifinal spot

The Green Shirts handed 5-1 defeat in the Asian Champions Trophy

In a dominant performance, Pakistan's hockey team secured a convincing 5-1 victory over China, ensuring their place in the semi-finals of the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2024.

Nadeem Ahmed and Hannan Shahid were the stars of the match, scoring two goals each to lead Pakistan to a comfortable win.

Abdul Rehman added another goal to further solidify the team's dominance.

The Green Shirts, who have been undefeated in the tournament, captured the second spot at points table, behind arch-rival India.

Abdul Rehman opened the scoring for Pakistan in the 23rd minute of the game. Ahmed Nadded doubled the lead in the 36th minute.

In the 46th minute Hannan Shahid made a brilliant run to score the third goal for Pakistan, before Gao Jiesheng scored one back for China to make the score-line 3-1 in the 48th minute.

However, Nadeem in the 56th minute stuck again for his second goal of the game, while Shahid completed his brace in the final minute to make the score line 5-1.

Pakistan's match is set to be a high-stakes encounter as Pakistan will face their traditional rivals, India, on Saturday.

Both teams are unbeaten throughout the tournament, making this upcoming clash all the more thrilling.

On Wednesday, Pakistan bagged the first victory of the competition, beating Japan 2-1.

Nadeem Ahmed scored a goal in the first quarter to give Pakistan the lead but Japan equalised by scoring a goal in the second quarter.

In the 10th minute of the second quarter, Sufyan Khan scored a goal to restore Pakistan's lead which was enough to secure a win.

Remember, Pakistan's first two games ended in a draw against Malaysia and South Korea, respectively.

India beat S Korea

Harmanpreet Singh-led team India secured their fourth successive win in the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy as they beat Korea 3-1 on Thursday. India, who have already qualified for the playoffs, now have 12 points from four games and have assured themselves a top spot finish in the points table.

In the match, Araijeet Singh opened the scoring for India with his eighth-minute goal before skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored again within 60 seconds to take India into a 2-0 lead. Korea scored late in the third quarter to bring the scoreline to 2-1.

However, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh, with his second goal of the day in the 42nd minute, extended the scoreline to 3-1, keeping India's winning streak intact.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 points table.

Hero of the Match, Suraj Karkera of India said, "Korea is no easy team to beat but our mantra today was to defend well. In terms of pressure, there is none as Coach has given us freedom to play our game. We have trained with Sreejesh over the years and though it is a big shoes to fill in, we try to do our best."