ISLAMABAD: Pakistan scored a stunning 5-2 win against Korea to end their campaign at the Hero Asian Champions Trophy with a bronze medal on Tuesday at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in China, the International Hockey Federation said, as India defeated China in the final of the tournament.
It was goals by Sufyan Khan, Hannan Shahid, and Rooman that led to Pakistan’s victory while Jungjun Lee and Jihun Yang scored for Korea.
After a poor start, Pakistan, who were handed a disappointing loss in the semifinal by hosts China, made great amends to their game to bounce back in the second half of the match to clinch a thriller.
“We are very happy to finish the tournament on a good note. Definitely, it would have been great if we had won yesterday’s match (against China) and played the final against India today but we made a number of errors,” Sufyan Khan was quoted as saying after the game by the International Hockey Federation.
“Today, we didn’t start very well but during the half-time break, our Head Coach Tahir Zaman shook us up in his own style and instilled confidence that we can bounce back.”
Meanwhile, the Indian Men’s Hockey Team registered an emphatic 4-1 win over Korea in the semifinal of the championship and advanced to the final against China, whom they beat 1-0, thus retaining their Asian Champions Trophy crown.
Jugraj Singh scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute, after a frustrating game for India, as they came up against a well-organized, stubborn Chinese defense.
This is India’s fifth Asian Champions Trophy title.
