Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024: Pakistan blazes a trail to finals

IPOH: Pakistan men’s national field hockey team secured its spot in the finals of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 after beating Canada 5-4 on Wednesday.

The Green Shirts finished at the top of the points table along with Japan. Pakistan will now face off against Japan in finals on May 11 at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia.

Read more: Pakistan beat Korea to register second win in Azlan Shah Cup

Pakistan emerged as table-toppers after four games, securing three wins and a draw. Meanwhile, Japan also clinched their spot in the final with a similar record on the table.

Tournament hosts Malaysia and New Zealand teams will compete for the third-place playoff with six points each.

The Green Shirts blazed into the finals with a hard-fought 5-4 victory over Canada. Despite Canada taking a 2-0 lead early in the game, Pakistan staged a comeback.

Abu Bakar Mahmood scored two crucial goals while Arshad Liaqat, Rana Waheed Ashraf, and Ghazanfar Ali also contributed to Pakistan’s victory with one goal each.

Meanwhile, Japan sealed their place in the final with a 2-1 win over Malaysia.

Japan’s Kazumasa Matsumoto was the first to score 24 minutes into the game. This put the hosts Malaysia behind on the scorecard. However, Malaysia’s Faizal Saari leveled the score within next ten minutes.

Read more: Azlan Shah Cup: Pakistan hockey team snatches victory from Malaysia

Despite Malaysia’s efforts, Japan won the match in end with Taiki Takade’s second goal.

As the 30th iteration of the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup nears its conclusion, fans of field hockey in Japan and Pakistan have the final showdown to look forward to.