AMSTELVEEN: New Zealand defeated Pakistan 4-2 in the FIH Hockey World Cup classification match at Wagener Stadium on Monday.
The fixture was played for the ninth spot, with the defeat ending Pakistan’s hopes of a top-10 finish.
The Black Sticks were off to a commanding start as forward Dylan Thomas scored an impressive open-play goal in the first 20 seconds.
The ninth-ranked New Zealand team continued to dominate until the end of the first quarter. Scott Boyde and George Baker netted two more goals in the 16th and 22nd minutes, respectively, giving their side a 3-0 scoreline.
The Green Shirts fought back as Sufyan Khan and Afraz scored goals in the 33rd and 38th minutes, respectively.
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This brought the scoreline to 3-2, but New Zealand restored their two-goal lead in the 49th minute, through Kane Russell’s penalty corner goal.
Consequently, New Zealand secured a 4-2 win over Pakistan and finished to the top of the points table in Group G. They will play Ireland for the ninth-place playoff at Belfius Hockey Arena in Belgium on Friday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will now face South Africa in the 11th/12th-place match on the same day at the Wanderers Stadium.
The four-time World champions, Pakistan, playing their first match of the tournament since 2018, failed to secure a win in the main round after defeats to England and India. Their fixture against Wales resulted in a 3-3 draw.
However, after failing to qualify for the crossover round, the Green Shirts defeated Japan in their first classification match on Saturday, marking their first win in the mega event since 2010.
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