Pakistan record second win against Korea

The Greenshirts claim 5-4 win in Hobart International Challenge

KARACHI: Muhammad Dilber Hussain and Muhammad Irfan scored a brace each to help Pakistan register a second win against South Korea, winning 5-4 in the Hobart International Challenge on Saturday.

Dilber, hero of the previous 4-1 victory against Korea, became the tournament’s top scorer with a tally of four goals.

Pakistan got off to a perfect start when Dilber opened the Greenshirts’ account in the 12th minute to take a 1-0 lead.

Thereafter, the Koreans increased their attack and scored three goals in the second-quarter of the match through Youngjin Kim, captain Seungil Lee and Hyunwoo Nam in the 18th, 20th and 29th minutes to build a 3-1 lead at half-time.

Full-back Irfan then reduced the lead to 3-2 with his 35th minute penalty-corner goal for his team; in reply, Korea’s Namyong Lee scored a goal in the 48th minute.

The Greenshirts then bounced back in the last five minutes of the game when Muhammad Waqas scored the third goal for Pakistan in the 55th minute, followed by Irfan’s 57th minute goal which levelled the scores at 4-4.

Dilber sealed the 5-4 win in the last minute of the match with his second goal to guide Pakistan to a deserving victory.

Pakistan’s head coach Shahnaz Sheikh was delighted to achieve another win against Korea and feels the matches have been highly valuable for the team’s preparations for the Hockey World League, which will serve as the 2016 Rio Olympic qualifiers.

“Our defence and attack both did really well today,” Sheikh told The Express Tribune. “Apart from the second-quarter, where our defence made some wrong decisions and conceded goals, the attack was brilliant from the beginning till the end of the match. It is a well-deserved victory.”

Pakistan will now take on Australia on Sunday.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2015.

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