THE HAGUE: Pakistan secured their first Hockey World Cup victory in 16 years, defeating Japan 4-3 in a classification match at the ongoing tournament in the Netherlands.
Pakistan, competing in the ninth-to-16th-place classification round, came from two goals down to beat Japan in a thrilling encounter.
Rana Waheed scored twice for Pakistan, while Hammaduddin and Hannan Shahid scored one goal each. Moin Shakeel captained the side in place of Abubakar, who missed the match because of injury.
The victory marked Pakistan’s first win at the 2026 World Cup after the team failed to win any of its three opening matches and was eliminated from contention for the main tournament title.
Pakistan had last won a World Cup match in 2010, when it defeated Spain 2-1. The latest victory came 6,017 days after that win.
Pakistan, a four-time world champion, failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and did not win a match at the 2018 tournament. The team also failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup.
Pakistan returned to the World Cup in 2026 after an eight-year absence but was unable to advance to the knockout stage.
More read, India beats Pakistan with 5-3 win at Hockey World Cup second round
Earlier, India defeated Pakistan 5-3 in their Pool D match at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 in Amstelveen on Wednesday, earning a place in the second round and eliminating Pakistan from the tournament.
Harmanpreet Singh and Abhishek scored two goals each for India, while Hardik Singh also found the net. Shahid Hannan scored twice for Pakistan, with Sufyan Khan adding another goal.
India finished second in Pool D with six points, behind England, which topped the group after beating Wales 8-2. Pakistan ended the group stage with one draw and two losses and was eliminated from the tournament.
