Pakistan reclaim FIH World Cup spot after eight years

By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: And eventually Pakistan did a terrific job to reclaim their grace in hockey when they on Friday conquered Japan 4-3 in the semi-finals of the FIH World Cup Qualifiers in Ismailia, Egypt.
The outcome helped Pakistan to qualify for the 2026 World Cup which will be hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium in August.
Meanwhile in the other semi-final at the same venue England powered into the final and also to the World Cup with a 7-1 win over Malaysia.
The show between Pakistan and Japan was exquisite with either sides making desperate effort to keep an upper hand.
Japan created the first real opportunity of the match when Tsubasa Tanaka found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper early on but his effort sailed over the crossbar.
Pakistan opened the scoring in the ninth minute through Muhammad Ammad, who reacted quickly to convert a rebound after his initial shot was saved by goalkeeper Takumi Kitagawa and deflected back to him off the post.
Japan pushed hard for an equaliser and were denied on a couple of penalty corners, including a superb save on the post by Pakistan’s Arshad Liaqat. Their persistence paid off in the 21st minute when Ryoma Ooka finished with a sharp deflection from open play to level the scores at 1-1 heading into halftime.
Japan came out strongly after the break and took the lead in the 35th minute when Shota Yamada fired home a drag flick from a penalty corner. They doubled their advantage in the 41st minute after a clever overhead ball behind the Pakistani defence drew the goalkeeper out of his circle. Unable to clear the danger, the loose ball fell to Koji, who was left unmarked to slot in at the left post for a 3-1 lead.
With momentum firmly on Japan’s side, Pakistan faced an uphill task but found a lifeline when Japan were reduced to 10 players after receiving a yellow card with 10 minutes remaining.
Pakistan took advantage of the numerical superiority and mounted a late comeback. Abu Mahmood pulled one back in the 52nd minute with a powerful drag flick straight down the middle.
The equaliser arrived three minutes later when Sufyan Khan produced a blistering drag flick from a penalty corner that squeezed between the goalkeeper and the post defender.
Pakistan completed the turnaround in the 57th minute when Afraz produced a sensational deflection from open play to give his side a 4-3 lead.
Japan had a golden chance to force the match into a shootout when they were awarded a penalty stroke moments later. However, Pakistan goalkeeper Ali Raza made a decisive save with his fully outstretched right foot to deny the effort and secure Pakistan’s victory.
Muhammad Ammad was named player of the match for his early goal and overall contribution.
In the other semi-final, England cruised past Malaysia 7-1 to book their place in the final.
England controlled possession and territory for much of the match but found it difficult to break down Malaysia’s well-organised defence in the opening half. Jacob Payton fired an early chance wide from close range and Will Calnan dragged a tomahawk shot just past the left post before Sam Ward finally broke the deadlock with a drag flick in the 19th minute.
Malaysian goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman produced two key saves to keep the deficit to a single goal at halftime.
England’s pressure eventually told in the second half as they scored six goals. Sam Hooper doubled the lead with a powerful drag flick in the 36th minute before Tom Sorsby struck a reverse shot into the roof of the net five minutes later.
Stuart Rushmere extended the lead to 4-0 with an impressive finish after stopping his forward run, collecting a pass behind him on his reverse stick and steering the ball into the net.
Malaysia managed a consolation goal in the 50th minute when Faizal Saari sprinted nearly 50 metres to receive a pass and fired across the goalmouth, where Shafiq Hassan arrived ahead of the English defence to guide the ball into the net.
England responded strongly in the closing stages. Zach Wallace added a deft deflection from a penalty corner in the 54th minute, while Rushmere and Hooper each scored again in the final two minutes to complete convincing braces and seal the emphatic victory.
Wallace was named player of the match.
The 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup will be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands from August 14-30.
Pakistan, one of the most successful teams in the history of the tournament, have won the World Cup for a record four times in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994. However, their recent record has been less impressive, including a failure to qualify for the 2014 edition in the Netherlands and a group-stage exit at the 2018 World Cup in India. Pakistan also had missed the 2023 World Cup after they failed to qualify.