Pakistan beat Japan 2-1 on Wednesday to claim their first win in the Hockey Asia Champions Cup at the Muki Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir, China.
Nadeem Ahmed opened Pakistan’s account with a goal in the first quarter, but Japan equalized in the second quarter.
In the tenth minute of the second quarter, Sufyan Khan scored the second goal for Pakistan, putting them in the lead again. The green shirts fought hard and maintained their lead until the end, winning the match 2-1 in an exciting confrontation.
It must be noted here that Pakistan’s first two matches ended in draws. Their confrontation against South Korea on Monday ended in a 2-2 draw after they failed to defend their two-goal lead.
South Korea took the lead by scoring a goal in the second quarter, and it remained the same until the third quarter. The Pakistani team was unable to score any goals until the third quarter and lost by one goal.
However, in the fourth quarter, Pakistan staged a remarkable comeback, with Hanan Shahid scoring two quick goals.
But before the match was over, Korea scored another goal to tie the game.
Pakistan’s match against Malaysia on Sunday also ended in a 2-2 draw.
Pakistan will now play China on Thursday and will face arch-rivals India on Saturday.
Australian hockey star Craig has been banned after an Olympic cocaine bust
Australian hockey player Tom Craig has been suspended for 12 months after his arrest during the Paris Olympics last month on suspicion of buying cocaine, Hockey Australia announced Wednesday.
A statement from Hockey Australia said Craig will serve at least half of the suspension that began on September 9, with the remaining six months suspended if the player meets conduct requirements.
The 29-year-old was released without charges, but was given a warning by a judge after French police arrested him for allegedly trying to buy cocaine in Paris days after Australia lost their hockey quarter-final at the Games.
“Craig is required to complete mandatory training and education programs as part of his sentence,” the statement read.
“Tom has had access to all athlete support services under our program and will continue to do so for the duration of his suspension. His well-being remains our priority.”
Craig will be eligible to participate in Australia’s 2025 squad, which will be announced at the end of the year.
Craig admitted he “made a huge mistake” after his release from custody and apologized to his family, friends, teammates and the Australian Olympic team.
“I embarrassed all of you and I’m really sorry,” he said.
Anna Meares, the Australian team’s head of delegation in Paris, said Craig was “a good person who made a bad decision”.
Craig made his international debut in 2014 and has played more than 100 times for Australia. He was part of the silver medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
He scored a hat-trick against England at the 2018 World Cup in India to help Australia win the bronze medal. Agence France-Presse