AMSTELVEEN: India advanced to the next round after securing a decisive 5-3 win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 at Wagener Stadium on Wednesday.
For the Men in Blue, Harmanpreet Singh and Abhishek netted two goals each, while Hardik Singh added another to make it five. On the other hand, Pakistan’s Hannan Shahid scored twice, and Sufyan Khan also found the net once.
Before heading into the fixture, Pakistan was required to beat India to advance to the next stage of the tournament.
India took an early lead as Harmanpreet found the net in only the fourth minute of the game. Six minutes later, Abhishek doubled the score to put his side in a dominant position.
The first quarter belonged to India, as they held on to their lead.
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The second quarter saw a flurry of goals from both sides over the course of a few minutes. At the start of the second quarter, Harmanpreet netted his second to put his side in a commanding position. However, a minute later, Pakistan’s Hannan scored a goal to provide his team some respite.
Yet, India netted their fourth goal to keep themselves ahead in the game. Abhishek scored his second of the match to make it 4-1. Meanwhile, Sufyan also scored as both teams headed into halftime with the scoreline of 2-4.
After the break, India chipped away after Hardik capitalized on a penalty stroke. Pakistan were unable to match their opposition despite Hannan scoring in the 45th minute of the game.
Eventually, India comfortably won the match and advanced to the next round.
For Pakistan, their return to the Hockey World Cup ended disappointingly, as they failed to win a single game.
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