Greenshirts demolish Chinese Taipei 13-0 to top group

Preparations for Asia Cup semi-final are underway, says coach.

KARACHI:

Pakistan finished the league stage on a high after thrashing Chinese Taipei 13-0, to end on top of Group A, with three consecutive victories at the ongoing Asia Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia.

There was no let-off for the minnows as the greenshirts struck at regular intervals, particularly in the second session.

Pakistan scored three goals in the first-half and added ten goals to their tally in the second one to secure a big win.

Striker Haseem Khan led the rout with a hat-trick while captain Mohammad Imran, Shafqat Rasool and Rizwan Junior scored a brace each.

Veteran striker Shakeel Abbasi, Mohammad Dilber and Mohammad Tauseeq netted a goal each.

This victory, and earlier wins against Japan and Malaysia in the group fixtures, took Pakistan to top their group.

The Imran-led side is most likely to meet South Korea in Friday’s semi-finals as the defending champions are expected to finish second in Group B after losing to India.

India will face Bangladesh while South Korea meets Oman today in the last fixtures of the group stage — after this, the line-up for the semi-finals will be decided.

Greenshirts gearing up for semi-finals

Coach Tahir Zaman said the flurry of goals had not been the team’s aim against Chinese Taipei.

“We just wanted a win to continue the momentum,” Zaman told The Express Tribune from Ipoh.

“The players were told to be cautious in order to avoid any injuries before the crucial semi-finals. We are most likely to meet South Korea in the last-four fixtures, and have started preparing for them.

“All the players watched their game against India to assess their strength. We’ll have a meeting on Wednesday [today] to determine our strategy against them.”

Shahbaz rates Pakistan favourites for title

Legendary captain Shahbaz Senior has expressed his contentment with the greeshirts’ performance in the ongoing tournament.

“I have high hopes for Pakistan to win the title,” said the former captain, who led Pakistan to their last World Cup title.

Shahbaz said the squad had shown significant improvement in the event and praised coach Zaman for bringing the positive change.

“After a long time, the national squad is showing form,” he said. “They are playing as a team and only with combined efforts can the title be won.

“Pakistan’s defense has also improved a lot and they have not conceded as much as they did in earlier tournaments.”

However, Shahbaz stated that the squad needed to maintain its form for the semi-final.

“I hope the team continues with its winning momentum. The upcoming matches will be crucial and I am praying for Pakistan’s win as this title is very important for the survival of our hockey.”

In Group B, Japan were held to a 2-2 draw by hosts Malaysia.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2013.

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