20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026:
Pakistan Hockey Team Defeats Korea 5–3 to Win Bronze Medal After 12 Years
NAGOYA: Pakistan secured the bronze medal in men’s hockey at the Asian Games 2026 after overturning a two-goal deficit to beat South Korea 5–3 in Kakamigahara, Japan. The result came two days after Pakistan’s narrow 4–3 semi-final defeat to India.
Rana Waheed Ashraf was central to the turnaround, scoring twice in the fourth quarter after Pakistan had trailed 3–2 at half-time. Hannan Shahid then completed the scoring in the 59th minute to confirm Pakistan’s medal.
South Korea had recovered from an early setback to establish control of the match. Sufyan Khan put Pakistan ahead in the fourth minute, but Lee Gangsan restored parity before Kim Yongbok and Jihun Yang gave Korea a 3–1 advantage in the second quarter.
Abdul Rehman’s goal shortly before the interval kept Pakistan within reach. Neither side found the net in the third quarter, setting up a decisive final period.
Pakistan levelled through Waheed Ashraf in the 52nd minute before the forward struck again two minutes later to put his side ahead for the first time since the opening quarter. Hannan Shahid’s late goal completed the comeback and confirmed that Pakistan defeats South Korea 5–3 in the bronze-medal contest.
The bronze medal capped a campaign in which Pakistan finished second in Pool B. They opened with a 9–0 victory over Thailand and followed it with a 5–1 win against Uzbekistan before beating China 3–0.
A 5–4 loss to Malaysia halted Pakistan’s winning run, but the team responded with a 7–2 victory over Oman to book a semi-final place. India then edged Pakistan 4–3 in the last-four clash, sending them into the bronze-medal match against South Korea.
Pakistan won bronze in Asian Games hockey after recovering from the disappointment of missing out on the final. South Korea, who had claimed bronze at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, finished fourth after surrendering their advantage in the closing quarter.
For Asian Games 2026 hockey, Pakistan’s bronze-medal finish adds another podium result to their history in the competition after their previous gold in 2010 and silver in 2014.
Pakistan Hockey Federation President Muhyuddin Ahmad Wani congratulated the national hockey team, players, and officials on this remarkable achievement and expressed hope that the team will continue to bring honor to Pakistan in the future.
