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DAZHOU: Japan secured a 3-0 victory over the Pakistan hockey team to clinch the U-18 Asia Cup title here at the Dazhou National Hockey Training Centre on Sunday.
Japan ended Pakistan’s unbeaten run in the tournament with a dominant display in the final. The winning team kept the Greens at bay from the nets throughout the four quarters of the game.
Both teams fought hard but were unable to score in the opening quarter of the game. However, Japan took the lead with Yuma Fujiwara scoring goals in the 22nd and 38th minutes of the game.
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Japan further capitalized on the lead over the Pakistan Hockey team in the 49th minute of the match when Tatsuaki Yasui converted a penalty corner to send the ball into the nets.
Earlier, the Pakistan hockey team secured their place in the semi-finals of the U-18 Asia Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Malaysia, continuing their unbeaten streak in the tournament until the final.
The Green Shirts’ journey in the Asia Cup started dominantly with crushing victories against Hong Kong (8-0), Bangladesh (6-3), Sri Lanka (9-0), and China (2-1).
For the unversed, the loss against Japan marks the second for the Pakistan hockey team in a month’s time. Pakistan also suffered a defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the FIH Nations Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June 2025.
Pakistan Hockey Squad for U-18 Asia Cup
Mohammad Usman, Atif Ali, Asam Junaid, Mohammad Abdullah Farooq, Abdullah Awan, Zubair Lateef, Mohammad Yaseen, Mohammad Ali Taj, Ghulam Mustafa, Ali Hamza, Ali Hamzad, Aamir Sohail, Adeel Afzal, Mohammad Zaman, Mohammad Hussain, Mohammad Shaheer, Hasan Shahbaz, Yaseen Jamshaid
Team management: Shafqat Malik (manager): Mukhtar Ahmed, Touseeq Ahmed, Masood-ur-Rahman (coaches)
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