Champions Trophy Hockey: Pakistan keep qualification hopes alive
AUCKLAND: Pakistan registered their first victory on Thursday when they outclassed South Korea by a huge margin of 6-2 to remain on course of finishing fifth in the Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament.
Skipper Muhammad Imran and Abdul Haseem Khan scored braces while Waseem Ahmed and Shafqat Rasool hit one goal apiece to record the crucial victory which kept their hopes alive for an automatic qualification in the next episode of Champions Trophy.
South Korea took lead in the 7th minute through Nam Yong Lee but Pakistan equalized the affair in the 15 minute when Muhammad Imran first of his two goals.
Abdul Haseem Khan then took Pakistan in front in the very next minute with a beautiful goal before South Korea bounced back with a superb strike by Hyun Woo Nam in the 27th minute as the two teams entered the halfway stage equalized at 2-2.
Pakistan got confidence from their first-half performance and started the second half with a renewed energy where they made a number of openings but failed to capitalize on any of them as the teams entered final ten minutes leveled at 2-2.
However, Pakistan just decided to go all out and Abdul Haseem Khan broke the shackles with a brilliant goal in the 61st minute before Waseem Ahmed and Shafqat Rasool scored two goals in a single minute (63rd minute) thus taking the game away from South Korea.
Skipper Muhammad Imran then hit the final nail in the coffin with a 69th minute goal that sealed the emphatic victory for Pakistan and kept their hopes alive for their participation in the next episode of the Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament.
It is important to mention here that Pakistan’s all-time top goal-scorer Sohail Abbas didn’t play in the match after he was struck on his face earlier in the tournament.
Pakistan vs South Korea
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