Pakistan men’s hockey team secured their third consecutive victory at the 20th Asian Games after defeating China 3-0 in their Pool B match in Japan.
The opening quarter ended without a goal from either side, but Pakistan took control in the second quarter by scoring three times.
Captain Abu Bakar Mahmood opened the scoring in the 19th minute. Sufyan Khan then doubled Pakistan’s lead in the 24th minute through a penalty corner.
Hannan Shahid added a third goal in the 28th minute with an impressive field goal, giving Pakistan a 3-0 advantage.
China were unable to respond as Pakistan maintained their lead until the final whistle to secure a 3-0 victory and their third successive win in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Pakistan men’s kabaddi team failed to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Games for the first time in the event’s history after suffering a 51-30 defeat to Iran in their final group match.
The loss ended Pakistan’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stage and means the national team will return from the 2026 Asian Games without a medal for the first time.
Pakistan won two of their four group-stage matches. The team began its campaign with a 65-22 victory over Malaysia before defeating Nepal 58-43.
However, Pakistan then suffered a narrow 48-45 defeat against Thailand, putting its semi-final qualification hopes under pressure.
In their final group match, Pakistan faced a strong Iranian side but could not secure the required victory. Iran won 51-30, eliminating Pakistan from the semi-final race.
