DAZHOU: Pakistan’s under-18 hockey team continued its impressive run at the U-18 Hockey Asia Cup, registering a third straight win by defeating Bangladesh 6-3 in a high-energy Group A encounter here at the Dazhou National Hockey Training Centre on Tuesday.
The match saw a thrilling first half, with both teams showcasing aggressive play and ending the half tied at 3-3.
However, the last two quarters were all about Pakistan’s dominance. The green shirts launched a series of relentless attacks, scoring three more goals while keeping Bangladesh away from scoring again. The score remained 6-3 in Pakistan’s favor until the final whistle.
For Pakistan, Abdullah Awan and Hanzala Ali scored two goals each, while Atif Ali and Asim scored one goal each.
With this victory, Pakistan now leads Group A with a perfect record of nine points from three matches. The team has been in formidable form, scoring a total of 23 goals while conceding only three in the tournament so far.
Earlier in the competition, Pakistan delivered two commanding performances crushing Hong Kong 8-0 and outclassing Sri Lanka with another 9-0 triumph.
The U18 Hockey Asia Cup features teams from 11 nations, including China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Kazakhstan.
Pakistan has been placed in Pool A alongside China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong, while Pool B includes Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei.
Squad:
Mohammad Usman, Atif Ali, Asam Junaid, Mohammad Abdullah Farooq, Abdullah Awan, Zubair Lateef, Mohammad Yaseen, Mohammad Ali Taj, Ghulam Mustafa, Ali Hamza, Ali Hamzad, Aamir Sohail, Adeel Afzal, Mohammad Zaman, Mohammad Hussain, Mohammad Shaheer, Hasan Shahbaz, Yaseen Jamshaid
Team Management:
Shafqat Malik (Manager), Mukhtar Ahmed, Touseeq Ahmed, Masood-ur-Rahman (Coaches)
Atique ur Rehman is a senior reporter for Geo News.
