India retain hockey crown, Pakistan bag bronze

ISLAMABAD: India successfully defended their Asian Champions Trophy title with a narrow 1-0 victory against China with Pakistan finishing with a bronze medal.

While China earned multiple penalty corners, Pathak’s exceptional goalkeeping denied their efforts. India gradually increased the intensity, culminating in Harmanpreet Singh’s pass from the baseline finding Jugraj Singh in the 51st minute. Jugraj tucked the ball into the right bottom corner of the goal to break the deadlock.

China, desperate to equalise, pushed forward aggressively, leading to an end-to-end game. However, India maintained their composure, controlling possession in the final minutes to secure 1-0 victory and retain their title.

In the bronze medal match, Pakistan staged a brilliant comeback, defeating Korea 5-2 to finish third. Pakistan rallied under pressure, with standout performances from Sufyan Khan and Hannan Shahid, each scoring twice to secure the win.

Korea took an early lead in the 16th minute when Jungjun Lee scored with a lofted ball past Pakistan’s goalkeeper Ishtiaq Abdullah Khan. Despite a challenging second quarter, Pakistan regrouped during the halftime break. Sufyan Khan equalized in the 38th minute with a powerful penalty corner strike, igniting Pakistan’s offense. Just a minute later, Hannan Shahid scored a stunning field goal to give Pakistan the lead.

Korea briefly equalised through a penalty corner in the 40th minute, but Pakistan responded swiftly. Rooman restored Pakistan’s lead in the 45th minute with a well-taken field goal. Sufyan Khan added his second of the match in the 49th minute, converting another penalty corner, and Hannan Shahid sealed the victory in the 54th minute with his sixth goal of the tournament.

Pakistan’s defense, bolstered by goalkeeper Muneeb-Ur-Rehman, who replaced Ishtiaq in the final quarter, held firm to secure the 5-2 win and the bronze medal. Reflecting on the victory, Hero of the Match Sufyan Khan said: “We are very happy to finish the tournament on a good note. Our coach Tahir Zaman gave us the confidence we needed at halftime, and we executed our game plan to perfection.”