Pakistan registered their first victory at the FIH Hockey World Cup in 16 years after defeating Japan 4-3 in a classification match in the Netherlands on Saturday.
It was Pakistan’s first win in the ongoing World Cup, and their first victory in any Hockey World Cup match since 2010, when they defeated Spain 2-1.
Pakistan had failed to qualify for the 2014 Hockey World Cup and could not win a single match during the 2018 edition.
Against Japan, Rana Waheed scored twice, while Hannan Shahid and Hammad added one goal each to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory for Pakistan.
The hard-fought win ended Pakistan’s long World Cup victory drought and provided a much-needed boost to the national hockey team in the classification stage of the tournament.
