KUALA LUMPUR: The Pakistan hockey team’s sensational run in the ongoing Junior Hockey World Cup came to an end with a disappointing 4-2 defeat against Spain on Tuesday.
The national team got off to a good start in their quarter-final clash against Spain as they were 1-0 up in the first quarter, courtesy of captain Hanan Shahid’s goal.
Pakistan’s narrow lead persisted till half-time but Spain made a sensational comeback in the third quarter.
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The European side struck three goals from penalty corners and one field goal to attain a heavy lead over Pakistan.
Sufyan Khan pulled one back for Pakistan in the 43rd minute but his efforts were not enough as Spain registered a thumping 4-2 victory over Pakistan.
Cabre Verdiell scored twice for Spain while Aleix Bozal and Pablo Espino scored one each.
Pakistan Hockey team had a successful run in the group stage before falling short against Spain in the quarter-final. They made it to the knockouts after holding Belgium for a 1-1 draw.
Pakistan hockey team kicked off their Junior World Cup campaign with an impressive draw against the Netherlands 3-3 on December 06.
Pakistan team followed the first match draw with a thumping 4-0 victory over New Zealand courtesy of Arshad Liaqat’s hat-trick in the next match.
Pakistan will now take on Australia in the 5th-place playoff match on December 14.
For the unversed, Pakistan won the inaugural Junior World Cup in 1979 and then claimed bronze medals in the next three editions before getting a silver in the 1993 edition.
They have not been able to win any medal in the Junior World Cup since 1993 and finished at their lowest 11th position in the 2021 edition in Bhubaneswar, India.
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