Pakistan cruise past Oman to seal Asian Games hockey semi-final berth
Pakistan completed their Asian Games hockey pool campaign with a commanding 7-2 victory over Oman on Monday, recovering from their defeat by Malaysia to finish the group stage strongly and keep their medal hopes alive.
Sufyan Khan scored twice from penalty corners, while Rana Waheed completed a hat-trick as Pakistan dominated Oman at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. Ghazanfar Ali and Ammad Butt were also on target for Pakistan, who led 2-0 after the first quarter and extended their advantage to 5-1 by half-time.
Sufyan opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and doubled the lead six minutes later before Waheed made it 3-0 in the 34th. Ghazanfar added another in the 40th minute and Waheed struck again four minutes later to give Pakistan a four-goal cushion at the interval.
Oman reduced the deficit through Al Baraa Al Nofli in the 27th minute and Aiman Madit in the 36th, but Pakistan remained in control. Ammad scored in the 46th before Waheed completed his hat-trick in the 59th minute.
Pakistan had earlier beaten Thailand 9-0, Uzbekistan 5-1 and China 3-0 before suffering their only defeat, a 5-4 loss to Malaysia. The win over Oman took their pool-stage record to four victories from five matches.
The top two teams from each pool advance to the semi-finals, with the last-four matches scheduled for Oct 1.
The hockey result capped a productive day for Pakistan in the team events, with the men’s volleyball side also registering a straight-games victory and both squash teams collecting wins.
Two in two for volleyball side
Pakistan’s men’s volleyball team continued their impressive start by sweeping aside Uzbekistan 3-0 in their Pool A match, winning 25-18, 25-18, 25-20.
The result followed Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan and left Pakistan with two wins from two matches ahead of their final pool game against hosts Japan.
Captain Murad Khan led Pakistan’s scoring against Uzbekistan with 14 points, while Musawer Khan contributed 13, Usman Faryad Ali 10 and Mohammad Hamad 11. Pakistan’s attack produced 48 successful spikes, while they also held a clear advantage at the net, scoring 18 points from blocks to Uzbekistan’s five.
The victory was achieved despite concerns over the team’s preparations, with Murad later criticising logistical arrangements after the squad was reportedly taken to the wrong gymnasium shortly before the match.
Squash teams open with wins
Pakistan’s squash teams also made winning starts to their respective pool campaigns.
The men’s team defeated the Philippines 3-0, with Nasir Iqbal winning his match against Van Aero Dalida 11-7, 11-1, 11-4.
The women’s team suffered a 3-0 defeat by Hong Kong in their opening tie but recovered to beat Mongolia 3-0. Mehwish Ali defeated Khongorzul Bat-Erdene 11-3, 11-2, 11-3 in the opening match against Mongolia.
Pakistan had entered the team events after winning two bronze medals in the men’s singles through Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab Irfan. Noor beat Ashab 3-0 in the third-place playoff on Sunday, with the two players sharing the bronze medals after losing their respective semi-finals.
Rabia finishes 33rd in pistol
There was little joy for Pakistan in shooting as Rabia Kabir finished 33rd in the women’s 25m pistol qualification with a score of 567-13x.
Ayesha was unable to progress to the final, which was led by Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan with 587-25x.
Pakistan also finished seventh in the PUBG Mobile Asian Games competition, with the team accumulating four points in the completed results. China won the event with 20 points, ahead of Japan and South Korea.
Pakistan’s attention now turns to athletics, with Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem set to compete in the men’s javelin final alongside compatriot Mohammad Yasir. Ansar Abbas will also contest the men’s long jump final after qualifying with a personal-best 7.28 metres.
