Pakistan Junior Hockey team qualified for 2016 Junior Hockey World Cup after beating China 4-1 in their quarter-final match of the 8th Men’s Junior Asia Cup at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium in Kuantan, Malaysia on Thursday.
“This is really a proud moment for the whole team that we have qualified for next year’s Junior World Cup. This team has shown the critics that they are the best selection,” said chief coach Tahir Zaman while talking in Malaysia.
“I never take any team for granted. I told the players to maintain their team play and also to keep faith in their abilities. They did so and they proved their worth,” he added.
China took the lead against Pakistan in the 17th minutes of the game with a goal from Lei Meng.
Pakistan’s equaliser came from a penalty corner converted by Mubashir Ali.
8th Men’s Junior Asia Cup: Dilber nets thrice to take Pakistan to quarter-finals
Pakistan’s second goal came in the 27th minute when Shan Irshad netted the ball through a field goal.
After half-time, Pakistan added two more goals to their tally. Irshad found the net in the 44th minute for the third goal while Muhammad Dilber scored the fourth.
The winning captain Ammad Butt told that they played their best hockey.
“We were under pressure because of the importance of the match and had our practice match defeat against China at the back of our mind, but our coach encouraged us and we won.”
The four semi-finalists including Pakistan, India, Korea and Japan have qualified for next year’s Junior World Cup to be held at New Delhi from December 1 to 11. Pakistan will face Korea in the semi-final.
“It is a bonus for us (playing Korea) because we have a better chance of winning,” said Zaman.
“We have already defeated them 3-0 in the pool matches. We are determined to make it to the Finals since we are looking at our long-term plan of playing in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.”
