AMSTELVEEN: Pakistan completed a dramatic comeback Friday, beating South Africa 4-3 in a penalty shootout after an eight-goal thriller ended 4-4 at Wagener Stadium to secure its best Hockey World Cup finish in 20 years.
South Africa made the stronger start, with Trevor de Lora opening the scoring in the eighth minute before Dayaan Cassiem doubled the lead three minutes into the second quarter.
Pakistan quickly turned the momentum around. Afraz pulled one goal back before Mohammad Ammad equalized before halftime, putting Pakistan back in contention.
Rana Waheed Ashraf then gave Pakistan its first lead early in the third quarter, making it 3-2. South Africa responded through Mustaphaa Cassiem in the 40th minute to level the match again.
The South Africans appeared to move closer to victory when Cassiem scored his second goal in the 55th minute to restore their lead. Pakistan, however, produced a late response, with Muhammad Hammaduddin scoring in the final minute to force a 4-4 draw and send the match to a shootout.
Pakistan wins under pressure
South Africa converted its first two shootout attempts through Dayaan Cassiem and Calvin Davis, while Pakistan replied with goals from Zikriya Hayat and Umar Mustafa.
The momentum shifted when Hans Neethling and Jamie Seale missed their attempts for South Africa. Hannan Shahid then scored for Pakistan to put his team ahead 3-2.
Pakistan had a chance to seal the victory through Waheed Ashraf Rana, but his attempt was unsuccessful. Mustaphaa Cassiem converted South Africa’s final attempt to level the shootout at 3-3.
The decisive moment fell to former Pakistan captain Ammad Butt, who calmly converted the final attempt to secure the victory.
The 11th-place finish marked Pakistan’s strongest World Cup result since it placed sixth in 2006. The team finished 12th in 2010 and 2018 and failed to qualify for the 2014 and 2023 tournaments.
The result also capped Pakistan’s return to the World Cup on a positive note after its absence from the previous edition. Its comeback against South Africa, particularly after falling two goals behind, provided a strong finish to its campaign in the Netherlands.
