Pakistan Junior Hockey Team Storms into Sultan of Johor Cup 2026 Final
JOHOR BAHRU (Sports Link PK) – In the most thrilling stage of the Sultan of Johor Cup 2026, Pakistan junior hockey team has qualified for the final on the basis of superior goals scored.
The final will now be played between Pakistan and hosts Malaysia on Saturday at Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, Johor Bahru. In their last pool match, Pakistan and Japan played a nail-biting contest which ended in a 2-2 draw.
Japan took the lead in the 18th minute when Yamada Seiya scored a field goal to make it 1-0. Pakistan bounced back in the 34th minute when Hamza Fayyaz converted a penalty corner to level the score 1-1.
In the 42nd minute, Japan's Nakai Kazuki scored again to put Japan ahead 2-1, but just a minute later in the 43rd minute, Ghulam Mustafa scored the equalizer to make it 2-2.
After the draw, both Pakistan and Japan finished with 7 points from 4 matches with an identical goal difference of +8. However, Pakistan scored a total of 18 goals in the tournament while Japan scored 16. On the basis of more goals, Pakistan secured second position and booked its place in the final.
Pakistan started the tournament with an 8-3 win over China and a 6-2 win over Canada, before suffering a narrow 3-2 defeat against Malaysia.
Final: Pakistan vs Malaysia – Saturday, Taman Daya Hockey Stadium
