Sports Bulletin

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Pakistan will take on South Korea in the first semifinal of the 6th Asian Hockey Champions Trophy (AHCT) 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh: the match will start at 2:30 pm according to Pakistan Standard Times. The second semi-final will be played between India and Japan. The semi-finals of the sixth edition of the Asian Champions Trophy under the auspices of the Asian Hockey Federation will be played on December 21 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The first semi-final will be played between Pakistan and Korea at 2:30 pm (Pakistan time) while the second semi-final will be played between India and Japan at 5:00 pm Pakistan time. The teams of Pakistan and India are the defending champions of this mega event and both the teams have won the title of three times.

Special Report Dhaka (December 19, 2021):-Pakistan Outclassed hosts Bangladesh 6-2 in their last league match of the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2021 to ensure their place in top-four stage in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Sunday. According to the details, Pakistan made it to the semi-finals in the sixth edition of the Asian Champions Trophy held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In the last match of the Robin Round matches, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh 2-6 to improve their pole position and move to third position. In the points table, India is first with 10 points, Korea is second with 6 points, Pakistan are third with five points with better goal average while Japan is fourth with 5 points. In the 13th minute of the first quarter of the match, Bangladesh took the lead by scoring a field goal with the help of Arshad Hussain. In the 14th minute of the match, Ahmed Nadeem of Pakistan scored a goal through a field goal. Ejaz Ahmed scored a field goal for Pakistan in the 18th minute of the game to give Pakistan the lead. Ahmed Nadeem scored the fourth goal for Pakistan in the 26th minute of the match. Salman Razzaq scored for Pakistan in the 34th minute of the match through penalty corner. In the 35th minute of the match Bangladesh scored Arshad Hussain tried to reduce the deficit by scoring a goal while Pakistani striker Ijaz Ahmed scored a goal in the 38th minute of the game to seal the victory for Pakistan to reach the semi-finals and the man of the match. Pakistan got a better goal average and moved up to the third position in the points table in the event. The semi-finals of the Asian Champions Trophy will be played on December 21 after a one-day break. Pakistan will take on Korea in the semi-final at 2:30 pm Pakistan time while the match between India and Japan will be played at 5:00 pm Pakistan time.

SP Report Dhaka, Bangladesh (December 18, 2021):-The match between Pakistan and Korea ended 3-3 draw in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2021, which is going on here in the capital city of Bangladesh. Pakistani striker Afraz got the man of the match award. Japan defeated hosts Bangladesh 5-0. On Saturday, two more matches have been played in the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The first match was played between Pakistan and Korea which ended in a 3-3 draw after a brilliant and lively contest. In the 14th minute of the first quarter of the game Kim scored a field goal to give Korea the lead. In the 24th minute of the game, Afraz ended Korea's lead by scoring a goal through a field goal. In the 33rd minute of the game, Pakistan's Rana Waheed strengthened his lead by scoring a goal on a penalty corner. In the 42nd minute of the game, Korean player Ji Wu scored a field goal to end Pakistan's lead and the match score became 2-2. In the 56th minute of the game, Korea got a penalty stroke which was taken advantage of by Korean player Jing who scored a goal to establish Korea's lead. In the 57th minute of the game, Pakistan's Rana Waheed scored a goal on a penalty corner to end Korea's lead and make the match score 3-3 which remained till the end of the game. Pakistan's goalkeeper Mazhar Abbas, defenders Emad Shakeel Butt, Mohammad Abdullah and Abu Bakar Mahmood showed excellent game. Pakistan's player Afraz was declared man of the match. In the eighth match of the event, Japan strengthened its position in the pool by defeating the host team Bangladesh by 5-0 goals in a one-sided contest. In the series of Robin Round matches, the match between India and Japan will be played on December 19 at 2:30 pm according to Pakistan time while Pakistan and the host team Bangladesh will play at 5:00 pm.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (December 17, 2021):-India beat Pakistan 3-1 in the 6th Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Pakistan and India also have the honor of being the most frequent champions in the Asian Champions Trophy. India won the first Asian Champions Trophy in China in 2011 and Pakistan won the Asian Champions Trophy in Doha, Qatar in 2012. In 2013, Pakistan once again defended its title in Japan and won the Asian Champions Trophy. In 2016, India managed to win the Asian Champions Trophy once again in Malaysia. On the penalty corner in the first quarter for Indian Harman Preet Singh scored a goal through a fast drag flick while India took the lead. India's center striker Akash Deb Singh consolidated the lead by scoring the second goal. In the fourth quarter of the game, Junaid Manzoor from Pakistan guided the ball to the Indian goal post on the pass of teammate Rana Waheed and scored a field goal for Pakistan.  The last goal of the match was scored by Indian drag ski specialist Herman Preet Singh through a penalty corner. For Pakistan, goalkeeper Mazhar Abbas, defenders Mubashir Ali, Abu Bakar Mahmood, Emad Shakeel Butt and Mohammad Abdullah played confidently. Harman Preet Singh was declared Man of the Match for his outstanding performance. CEO of Asian Hockey Federation, Tayyab Ikram Chaudhry along with the Vice President of Asian Hockey Federation distributed the awards. In the Asian Champions Trophy to be held in Oman in 2018, Pakistan and India were declared joint champions when heavy weather and heavy rain in the final prevented Astroturf from playing. In the sixth edition of the Asian Champions Trophy is being played in Dhaka, Bangladesh from December 14 to 22.

Islamabad (Sports Report):-The senior goalkeepers of Pakistan national hockey team got visas of Bangladesh to join the national squad, which will participate in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy, scheduled to start from December 14, 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. According to an official of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), the both goalkeepers Amjad Ali and Mazhar Abbas have left for Dhaka via Qatar. Before the flight, national hockey goalkeeper Mazhar Abbas said that Green Shirts would try their best to deliver up to mark in the 5-nation international competitions. “We request to whole nation to prayer for the team. Also, special thanks to the PHF and the Ministry of Sports Bangladesh for their diligent efforts in obtaining visas on an emergency basis, “he added. Goalkeeper Amjad Ali said that he hopes to be part of the national team in the first match of Pakistan. He said that he would do his best for the best performance. The Asian Champions Trophy is being played in Dhaka from December 14 to 22. Pakistan will play its first match against Japan on December 14 at 5:00 pm (Pakistan Time). Pakistan and India are joint defending champions of the Asian Champions Trophy title

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-I am disappointed that the Malaysian team is not participating in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2021 owing to medical reasons. I want Pakistan to play against the best teams of the Asia. The main purpose of achieving high performance is to play against the best team. I will check in which areas we need to improve, Head Coach Pakistan Hockey Team, Siegfried Aikman said on Sunday in an interview in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. It is pertinent to mention that Asian Hockey Champions Trophy tournament will be started from December 14 in Dhaka. Commenting on the decision of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation not to participate in the Asian Champions Trophy due to medical reasons, the head coach of the Pakistan hockey team said that the Malaysian hockey team was one of the best teams in the region. “And I want Pakistan to play against the best teams in Asia. Our main purpose of high performance sports is to play against the best team. I will closely monitor the strengths and weaknesses of the team's players and evaluate that in what areas need to be improved to achieve high performance, “he added. He said, “Green shirts have the potential to compete against all Asian teams. Malaysia was a good target for Pakistan; its participation would have further enhanced the competitive atmosphere. I wish the players of the Malaysian team all the best and pray for the health of their players. I hope they appear on the playgrounds soon, “newly appointed coach concluded.

Dhaka, Bangladesh (SB Report):-Pakistan national hockey squad arrived here on Saturday morning to participate in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2021, scheduled to be kicked off from December 14. Goalkeepers Waqar and Abdullah Ishtiaq left Karachi for Bangladesh today at 12 noon via Qatar Airways. Visas for Amjad Ali and Mazhar Abbas are expected by Sunday evening, December 12. As soon as the visas are received, the senior goalkeepers will also leave for Dhaka. Secretary General Pakistan Hockey Federation Asif Bajwa has said that senior goalkeepers would be part of the national hockey squad in the event if they arrive on time. He said that visa applications of senior goalkeepers were sent on December 4 but visas have not been received yet. It is hoped that the visas of Amjad Ali and Mazhar Abbas would be received by Sunday after which they will leave for the event immediately and they will be part of the team while the junior goalkeepers will be considered as observers in the event. Under the auspices of the Asian Hockey Federation, the Asian Champions Trophy features six of the best teams in Asia, including the joint defending champions Pakistan and India, as well as Korea, Japan, Malaysia and host Bangladesh. The Asian Champions Trophy is being played from December 14 to 22 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The event will be played round robin league style. Pakistan will face Japan in the Asian Champions Trophy on December 14 while joint defending champions Pakistan and India will compete on December 17.

Lausanne, Switzerland (SB Report):-Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) approved the participation of South Africa and Canada in the third edition of the Men’s FIH Hockey Pro League. As informed earlier, this participation is temporary and limited to this edition only. Both teams replace Australia and New Zealand, who had to pull out of the current season due to COVID-related international travel constraints. “It’s great that both South Africa and Canada are joining the FIH Hockey Pro League. Both teams are the first ones from Africa and North America to join the Men’s League, which is excellent for the growth and globalisation of hockey”, FIH CEO Thierry Weil commented. The first Pro League matches of the year in 2022 will involve the Women’s teams of China and India. They will take place on 31 January – 1 February in Thailand, where both teams will be to play the Women’s Asia Cup 2022.

Bhubaneswar, India (SB Report):-Lautaro Domene scored a hat-trick of penalty corners to help Argentina become men’s Junior World Cup champions for the second time in their history, beating Germany 4-2 in a superb competition final in Bhubaneswar. Domene’s achievement was made more remarkable by the fact that Argentina won just three penalty corners in the entire match, with the drag-flicker finishing with a 100 percent conversion rate as his team added a second men’s Junior World Cup title to the one claimed in Rotterdam in 2005. The result ended Germany’s quest for a seventh men’s Junior World Cup title and brought the curtain down on a superb competition at the Kalinga Stadium. Earlier in the day, France – inspired by Player of the Tournament Timothée Clément – defeated India to claim the bronze medal while Netherlands and Spain were respective winners over Belgium and Malaysia in the 5-6 and 7-8 classification matches. 1st – 2nd Place: Argentina beat Germany 4-2 In a magnificent contest, Argentina produced the most clinical of displays to overcome the six times champions, with a perfect penalty corner conversion record and an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Nehuen Hernando proving vital. Lautaro Domene netted penalty corner drag-flicks in each of the first two quarters, leaving Germany with a mountain to climb in the remaining 30 minutes. And climb it they did, with Julius Heyner – earlier given a 10-minute yellow card suspension for a coming together with Argentina’s Joaquin Toscani – firing home from close range before Masi Phandt’s deflected penalty corner effort rocketed into the roof of Hernando’s goal with 13 minutes remaining. However, Domene made it three penalty corner conversions from three attempts in the 50th minute before Hernando pulled off some astonishing saves to deny Germany another equaliser. Argentina sealed their second men’s Junior World Cup title when Franco Agostini fired into an empty net in the final minute, with Germany having replaced their goalkeeper with an outfield player in a final attempt to salvage the situation. “We cannot explain our feelings in this moment”, said a delighted Lautaro Domene, the Player of the Match, after the contest. “It is difficult to know what we are thinking. We knew that this team could do it. We played together, as we have done in the other games. We committed as a team, and that is the most important thing. It is a craziness that we cannot explain, what it is to win this tournament. It’s beautiful, and we are very proud of this team.” Germany captain Hannes Muller said: “First of all, congratulations to Argentina for their win. I think the first half was not good for us. Too many technical mistakes, not enough pressure on the ball. The second half was a little bit better but, in the end, we lost the final. At this moment it’s hard to understand that.” 3rd – 4th Place: France beat India 3-1 France captain Timothée Clément netted his fourth hat-trick in six matches at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, firing his team to the bronze medal with a 3-1 win over host nation India. The home side dominated the early stages and even managed to hit the post, but France grew into the contest and edged ahead four minutes before half time thanks to Clément’s superb penalty corner drag-flick. Clément netted another penalty corner early in the third quarter, but India hit back through Sudeep Chirmako’s brilliant reverse scooped finish to leave give his team hope in the latter stages. It was Clément however, who would have the final say, with his deflected fourth quarter penalty corner effort completing his personal treble and securing a superb bronze medal for this hugely gifted young French team. “What an emotion!”, said France captain Timothée Clément, who was named Player of the Match. “Two days ago, it was very difficult to lose in the semi-final. It was very important to finish like this. We have a bronze medal. It’s just amazing! And this team is perfect. Wow! We are very happy for French hockey. The future generation is here and I think we have a really, really great future!” India’s Vivek Sagar Prasad said: “It was a really good match, a very close one. Congratulations to the French team! We’re very disappointed. As players, we will all work to improve in the future.” 5th – 6th Place: Netherlands beat Belgium 6-4 The Low Countries derby battle for fifth position went the way of the Netherlands, who earned a 6-4 victory against Belgium. The Netherlands raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Miles Bukkens (2) and Brent van Bijnen before Belgium hit back through Thibault Deplus. Bukkens completed his hat-trick just before half time to take the score to 4-1, but two goals in three third quarter minutes from Roman Duvekot pulled the Belgians to within one goal of their opponents. However, strikes from Guus Jansen and Casper van der Veen sealed the win for the Netherlands, with Belgium’s Jeff de Winter scoring the final goal of a thrilling match eight minutes from full time. “We had a good game plan, We started really well and scored four goals”, said Guus Jansen, the Player of the Match. “In the first part of the second half, we lost it a bit but with the good work of the whole team we managed to take the win home. That’s a great feeling. Overall, it’s a little shame that we didn’t finish first. That’s what we came for. But after all, we won a lot of games, we lost one a little bit unfortunate. But after all, great World championships! Very happy.” Belgium captain Dylan Englebert said: “We were not used to concede as many goals as today, so we lack a little bit of focus in this part. For sure the second half was better, but they played well, both defensively and offensively. Congrats to them! For sure, we’re a bit disappointed to not have reached the semi-finals because we felt we had a good opportunity to go to it but I think we showed a lot of good things, with a strong team that plays together, that defends well. That’s why we are a little bit frustrated today to end with 6 goals against.” 7th – 8th Place: Spain beat Malaysia 4-1 Spain were victorious in the 7th place play-off match, powering to a 4-1 triumph over Malaysia in a rain delayed contest at the start of the day. Malaysia opened the match scoring in the 4th minute through team captain Akhimullah Anuar’s field goal, with parity being restored by Eduard de Ignacio-Simo’s open play effort three minutes later. The two sides were locked together until 11 minutes from the end of the contest, when Pau Cunill fired home from a penalty corner. Late penalty corner goals from both Pepe Cunill and Pau Cunill ensured victory went the way of the Spaniards, with Malaysia finishing the competition in eighth position.  “We had really tough matches and we’ve learnt from these matches”, said Spain’s Pepe Cunill, the Player of the Match. “So, at half-time, we told us that we had to get through this match and put a lot of energy in it. I’m happy to end up this tournament with a win, but I think that we could have achieved another position in the final standings. Malaysia’s Akhimullah Anuar said: “We all gave our best. We played our game. We had a lot of chances, but we missed. Spain took every chance and scored. Throughout the tournament, I think our performance improved. But we still have more to improve in the future.” Final standings 1: Argentina 2: Germany 3: France 4: India 5: Netherlands 6: Belgium 7: Spain 8: Malaysia 9: South Africa 10: Korea 11: Pakistan 12: Poland 13: Canada 14: Chile 15: USA 16: Egypt Competition Awards Best Player of the Tournament: Timothée Clément (FRA) Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Anton Brinckman (GER) Hero Top Scorer of the Tournament: Miles Bukkens (NED) (18 goals) Odisha Fair Play Award: Team Chile Odisha Fans Choice Award for Best Goal of the Tournament: Ignacio Nardolillo (ARG) Hockey India Maximum Team Goals: Netherlands (45 goals) Hockey India Best Goal Saved of the Tournament: Mahmoud Seleem (EGY) AM/NS India Best Coach of the Tournament: Johannes Schmitz (GER)

Bhubaneswar, India (SB Report):-South Africa produced a superb display to defeat Korea and secure their best ever finish at a men’s Junior World Cup as the 9th to 16th classification positions were decided in Bhubaneswar. The 4-0 triumph earned South Africa a ninth-place finish at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, surpassing their previous best of 10th which was achieved at the Lucknow 2016 edition of the competition. Pakistan, Canada and USA were also winners in their final matches, securing 11th, 13th and 15th positions respectively. 15th – 16th Place: USA 2-2 Egypt (3-0 on Shoot-Out) USA ended a difficult tournament on a winning note, fighting back from 2-0 down to claim an excellent draw against Egypt before triumphing in the shoot-out to snatch 15th position in the final standings. The Egyptians opened the scoring inside the first 60 seconds of the match when Abdelrahman Elganayni netted a penalty corner, with the same player doubling the advantage with a 24th minute field goal. Egypt held their two-goal lead until seven minutes from the end of the contest, when Tymen Kloen pulled a goal back from a penalty corner. Incredibly, Kloen struck again with a last-gasp open play effort to force the shoot-out in which the Americans dominated, with Kloen, Finlay Quale and team captain Jatin Sharma all converting to earn a 3-0 win in the one-on-ones.  We’ve improved a lot in this tournament”, said USA’’s Tymen Kloen, whose contribution rightly earned him the Player of the Match award. “We’re a very young squad and we have a lot of potential. I think we showed that today and we came up with a win. 0-2 down at half-time and we still win. This is a good sign.” 13th – 14th Place: Canada 2-1 Chile Canada snatched 13th place with a 2-1 win over Pan American rivals Chile in the second match of the day. Following two scoreless quarters, Canada took the lead with five minutes remaining in the third period when Christopher Tardif netted from open play, with Tanvir Kang scoring what proved to be the decisive goal midway through the fourth and final quarter. Chile’s Agustin Amoroso bagged a penalty corner with three minutes of the match left to play, setting up a tense finish to the contest. However, it was the Canadians who held on to secure 13th place, their highest finish since the 1985 Junior World Cup on home soil in Vancouver, where they also finished 13th. “I feel like we got better every single game in this tournament, we just sticked to the game plan and we got the result today”, said Canada’s Player of the Match John Jacoby. “There are so many learnings that we will bring home like the speed of the game, playing these crazy teams, it’s a lot!” Chile’s Nicolás Abujatum said: “They knew us, we knew them. These matches are decided by the team that makes less mistakes. We made mistakes that cost us to lose the game. Every player learnt a lot during this tournament. We have players with different ages, so each one has different things to learn. Some of us will not continue in the Juniors’ team, others will have more continental competitions, maybe World Cups, so I think we are learning how international matches are played.” 11th – 12th Place: Pakistan 5-0 Poland Pakistan proved too strong for Poland in the 11th – 12th classification match, running out comfortable winners against the Europeans in the third match of the day. The Junior Green Shirts exploded out of the blocks, taking a 2-0 lead in the opening six minutes thanks to two penalty corner conversions from Ali Rizwan. The team from Asia extended their lead to 4-0 ahead of half time, with Moin Shakeel firing home from open play before captain Abdul Rana netted from a penalty corner routine. Poland battled hard and made life difficult for their opponents after the break, with Pakistan only adding one more to their tally thanks to Mohammad Hammadudin’s field goal. “We were better structured today”, said Player of the Match Ali Ghazanfar of Pakistan. “We’ve learnt from our mistakes in the previous matches and today we have converted our goal opportunities. We didn’t play well against Germany, which was our first match in the tournament, but for the other matches we played very well. We improved match by match. Poland’s Jakub Mikolajczak said: “It wasn’t our day today. I think that Pakistan were just better. We have to work a lot until the next tournament. Participating in this World Cup was the best thing in my life! I’m one of the youngest players. See you soon!” 9th – 10th Place: South Africa 4-0 Korea South Africa’s best Junior World Cup finish came courtesy of a dominant display against Korea, with captain Guy Morgan producing a Player of the Match performance to help his team along the way. Morgan scored two sensational penalty corner drag-flicks, firing high into the net in the both the third and fourth quarters, giving his team a deserved lead following a score-less opening two periods. South Africa hit a third less than 60 seconds after their second, with Trevor de Lora firing home on the backhand before the result was put beyond all doubt seven minutes from the end when Zenani Kraai finished off a superb passing move to complete the match scoring.   “I think we had a bit of a slow start this evening, which was a bit frustrating from our side”, said South Africa’s Morgan after the match. "At half time, we worked it out in our heads, got back out there and made things happen, which was awesome. I’d like to say a massive thank you to the organisers, officials and everyone. It has been an amazing experience for everyone.” Korea captain Bae Soung Min said: “South Africa played very well, making the chances to get the goals. The tournament has been a good experience.”