Abdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Head Coach of Pakistan national juniors’ hockey team, Roelant Oltamans lamented over the team’s performance in the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023 saying that Under-21 player produce sparking and notable performance in the first round of the mega event against Holland and Belgium and they failed to maintain such pace and performance in the knock-out stage.While talking to a group of sports reporters after losing against Argentine 6-3 in a play-off, he further added that the first part of the competition was appreciable enough, however, Pakistan conceded 9 goals in the last 30 minutes. “We took a remarkable start in the group matches, as we played draws against Netherlands and Belgium, the best side of the hockey world. We defeated New Zealand with a margin of 4-0 and we were in confidence to do well in the next round. Due to some injuries we could not make-up the thing according to our wishes. We were good defenders and good finishers in the starting of the tournament, “he said.While responding to a question, foreign Pakistani coach said that some boys could go in the senior. “The players need to improve their basics and footwork. Things cannot be changed at once; it needs time to remove the flaws. There is a need to change the hockey system at junior level. Captain Hanan Shahid is an intelligent guy and has good communication skills and he plays a vital role during the camps to communicate with the guys. He speaks good English, “he maintained. Oltamans said that he did not sign any further contract with Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). “I do not know what will be next, whether there will be any assignment for me or not. The Pakistan team can qualify for the Olympic Games 2024, which will be held in Paris next year and Green Shirts will have to produce acceptable results in the Olympic Qualifying Round in Oman next month in January, “he replied to another question.  

Sarah Mehboob outclasses Sheeza Sajid in straight sets 2-0 in Ladies’ Singles finalSports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top national woman, Sarah Mehboob outclassed Sheeza Sajid in straight sets 2-0 in Ladies’ Singles final of the 9th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Championships 2023 here at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex, Garden Avenue on Saturday. Men’s Singles final between Aqeel Khan and Mohammad Shoaib will be played on Sunday at the same venue.Results:Men’s Singles (Semifinals): Aqeel Khan beat Mohammad Abid 6-4, 6-0Mohammad Shoaib beat Mudassir Murtaza 6-4 (Retd)Ladies’ Singles (Final): Sarah Mahboob Khan beat Sheeza Sajid 6-4, 6-1Boys’ Singles Under-18 (Final: Ahmed Nael Qureshi beat Hamza Roman 6-3,6-1Boys’ Single U14 (Semifinals):Abdul Basit beat Mohammad Haziq Aasim 4-0, 1-4, 5-4(1)Mohammad Hassan Usmani beat Hazik Areejo 4-2, 4-0Boys / Girls Singles U12 (Semifinals):Rashid Ali Bachani beat Razik Sultan 4-2, 4-0Shayan Afridi beat Ahmed Hussain 5-3, 4-0

Australia get-rid-of Pakistan 7-5 in a play-off fixture: Final on SaturdayAbdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): France and Germany set their championship clash of the Men’s Juniors Hockey World Cup 2023 after defeating their challengers in the semifinals Spain 3-1 and India 4-1 respectively here at National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil on Thursday.Netherlands beat Argentina (1-0): The Holland players made the most of their opportunities and defended well to beat Argentina 1-0.The 2021 champions had a series of half chances in the opening 30 minutes, but Dutch keeper Daan Taphoorn got his lines right and wasn’t tested. The best opportunity of the half fell to Argentina with a penalty corner against four defenders (because of a green card) but Taphoorn gloved the shot over the bar and it remained goalless at the break.The Dutch dominated the third quarter and were rewarded with a sharp field goal, Jan van ’t Land receiving a long pass deep in the circle and slipping it across goal where Dylan Lucieer’s quick hands beat the scrambling Joaquin Ruiz. The Spanish keeper denied the Dutch a second with a good save to keep Argentina in the hunt but, despite applying great pressure in the final quarter, they couldn’t find an equaliser.Australia beat Pakistan (7-5): Australia dominated a busy third quarter in their 7-5 victory over Pakistan. The Australians started well, Nathan Czinner opening the scoring in the third minute with a well-finished field goal. Abdul Qayyum levelled matters for Pakistan, but Cambell Geddes scored a drag flick for Australia to lead 2-1 at half-time.The third quarter started with Brodee Foster and Umar Mustafa trading field goals before Australia took control with three goals in four minutes, Geddes completing his hat-trick with two penalty corners and Czinner adding a field goal. Foster bagged a penalty stroke early in the fourth quarter for an unassailable 7-2 lead. Pakistan fought hard, adding field goals from Ahtisham Aslam and Qayyum, and a penalty corner from Sufyan Khan, but it was all too little too late.Germany beat India (4-1): It was a story of penalty corners as Germany defended all 12 of India’s and scored both of their own in a tricky 4-1 win to progress to the final. India dominated the first half but Germany opened the scoring, Ben Hasbach pouncing on loose ball after a scrambling Indian defence made two saves. Sudeep Chirmako hit back for India, cleaning up loose ball and finishing with a blistering reverse stick shot. The Germans then absorbed immense pressure, defending 10 penalty corners in the half before scoring from their first on the stroke of half time, Hasbach getting the faintest overhead deflection for an unlikely 2-1 lead.The third quarter was much tighter. India failed off their 11th penalty corner while Germany’s Paul Glander made no mistake with their second. The Germans sealed the game in the final quarter, captain Matteo Poljaric working the baseline skillfully before setting up Florian Sperling who needed two attempts to beat goalkeeper Shashikumar Mohith Honnenahalli.France beat Spain (3-1): France secured their spot in the final with a hard-earned 3-1 win over Spain. The French scored in the second minute, Brieuc Delemazure bulleting his drag flick through goalkeeper Jan Capellades. A sliding Jules Verrier then nearly made it two but the ball struck his body on the goal line. Marius Clement and Capellades made good penalty corner saves at opposite ends of the field, and Spain’s Oriol Bozal received a 10-minute suspension for an off-the-ball incident. The Spanish then drew level on the first quarter hooter, Aleix Bozal firing in a low drag flick. The second quarter remained tight, and the teams went into the break with the scores still locked at 1-1.France went ahead again early in the third quarter, the umpire playing good advantage in the circle for Stanislas Branicki to slap into an open net, keeper Capellades having been drawn off his line to shut down an attack. Louis Haertelmeyer then extended the lead, beating the last defender with a good touch and smashing it in. Spain had several opportunities in the final period but could not capitalise as the seventh-ranked French celebrated securing their place in Saturday’s final.

Mohammad Rizwan MalikKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Belgium will face South Africa in the playoff for ninth place while hosts Malaysia will play New Zealand for 11th spot after a day of shootouts at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.Egypt beat Canada (1-1, SO: 3-2): The Canadians dominated the opening quarter and Egypt’s Mahmoud Husin had to make an excellent low save from a penalty corner to deny them an early lead. They made the breakthrough when Maansarovar Sidhu deflected in from the p-spot off a penalty corner variation to take the lead. Egypt dominated the second quarter despite Ahmed Fahmy serving a 10-minute suspension for a slide tackle, but still trailed 0-1 at half time having had a goal disallowed.Egypt looked dangerous and equalised in the first minute of the second half, Hussein Awad deflecting a penalty corner in at the post. But it started going wrong with first Mohamed Hosni serving a 10-minute suspension, and Fahmy being sent off for his second yellow card offence at the end of the third quarter. The Egyptians started the final period with nine players, but Canada couldn’t take advantage and the scores were locked at 1-1 after 60 minutes. Egypt made less errors in the ensuing shootout and to win it 3-2.Korea beat Chile (2-1): Korea came from behind late in their match to beat Chile 2-1. It was an enthralling encounter with few real opportunities in the first half. Joaquín Muñoz eventually fired in a drag flick to give Chile the lead in the 25th minute. Korean keeper Seyeon Kim then saved a deflection from open play to prevent any further damage by the half-time break.Neither team could create anything in the third quarter but Korea seemed to be building momentum into the final period. Kim kept them in the hunt with a good double save from open play and Korea finally drew level after 52 minutes, Taewon Seo tapping in Junyeol Lim’s pass from the baseline after a patient buildup. Daehyun Kim put them ahead two minutes later, receiving a free hit and smashing it into goal from the top of the circle. Chile took their keeper off in the final minutes to push for a goal and very nearly drew level but Kim made another double save before the third shot ricocheted off the crossbar.Belgium beat Malaysia (2-2, SO: 5-3): The heavily favoured Belgians had to dig deep to edge out hosts Malaysia 5-3 in a shootout when their match finished 2-2 after 60 minutes. Goalkeepers Mohamad Rafaizul and Boris Feldheim both made good saves in the opening half before Max Luyten fired in a field goal for Belgium to lead 1-0 at the break.The start of the second half was delayed by torrential rain but once action resumed Hugo Labouchere rocketed in a drag flick for Belgium, only for Adam Ashraf to respond with a scrappy field goal for the hosts a minute later. Malaysia then applied sustained pressure, post-man Guillermo Hainaut saving a penalty corner and Feldheim saving a field goal, before Ashraf drew the home side level with a penalty stroke. This sent the match into a shootout in which Belgium scored from all five attempts for the win.South Africa beat New Zealand (3-3, SO: 4-3): South Africa pulled off an incredible comeback from three goals down against New Zealand to level the scores 3-3 and then snatch a 4-3 victory in the shootout. New Zealand had an ideal start, Aiden Bax opening the scoring with a scrappy field goal late in the first quarter. Two minutes later South African keeper Gianluca Virissimo made an excellent save from a penalty corner, only for Sam Lints’ rebound shot to deflect in off a defending stick. Virissimo denied New Zealand twice more to restrict their half-time lead to 2-0.James Hickson then put the junior Black Sticks three up after the break, his cross deflecting in off another unfortunate defender. But within a minute Hans Neethling responded for South Africa with a penalty stroke, and Jaydon Brooker fired in a drag flick to set up a tense final quarter. Neethling equalised for South Africa from open play to take the match to a shootout, which South Africa clinched 4-3 in sudden death.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: The 16th Korean Ambassador National Junior Taekwondo Championship will be held from December 15 to 16, 2023 at the Liaquat Sports Gymnasium, Pakistan Sports Board Islamabad.According to an official of Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF), the championship will be held under the banner of taekwondo federation in collaboration with the Korean Embassy. Over 250 officials and athletes will be part of national juniors’ fixture.Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Pakistan WAPDA, Pakistan Railway, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa (KPK), Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab, Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), and World Taekwondo (WT) Care Pogramme Team will fight for top honour during the two days event.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: The 9th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Championships 2023 got underway here at the PTF-SDA Tennis Complex, Garden Avenue on Tuesday.Anwar Saifullah Khan, former Federal Minister was the chief guest and Senator Usman Saifullah Khan was the guest of honour at the opening ceremony. A large number of players, including all the top players like, Aqeel Khan, Mohammad Shoaib, Muzammil Murtaza, Mohammad Abid, Barkatullah, Shahzad Khan, Yousaf Khalil, Heera Ashiq, Sarah Ibrahim Khan, Meheq Khokhar and Amna Ali Qayum are participating in the mega event. As many as 296 entries have been received in 6 different categories, Men’s, Singles, Men’s Doubles, Ladies Singles, Boys 18&under Singles, Boys 14&under Singles, and Boys/Girls 12&under Singles.Results (Day-1):Men’s Singles 1st Round: Hamid Israr bt Zaryab Khan 5-7,7-6(1), 7-6(2); Barkatullah bt M. Huzaifa Khan 6-3,6-0; Ahmed Nael Qureshi bt Huzaima Abdul Rehman 6-0,6-0; Hasheesh Kumar bt Hamza Roman 6-3,6-3; Muzammil Murtaza bt Uzair Khan 6-2,6-1; Mudassir Murtaza bt Syed Nofil Kaleem 6-2,6-1; Yousaf Khalil bt Ahtesham Humayun 6-0,6-2; M.Salar bt Abdal Haider 6-4,6-4; Mohammad Shoaib bt M. Hamza Aasim 6-2,6-3; Shahzad Khan bt Saqib Hayat 7-6(4),6-4; Mohammad Abid bt Imran Bhatti 6-1,6-0; Abdullah Adnan bt Faizan Fayyaz 6-0,6-2; Sami Zeb Khan bt Ahmed Babar 6-4,6-2; M. Talha Khan bt Abbas Khan 6-1,6-2; Aqeel Khan bt Asad Zaman 6-0,6-2;Boys Singles 18& under 1st Round: Asad Zaman bt Abdul Basit 6-3,7-6(2); Kashan Tariq bt M.Yahya 6-4,6-4; Hamid Israr bt Azan Shahid 6-0,6-0; Mustansir Ali Khan bt Waqas Janas 4-6,7-5,6-2; Ahmed Nael Qureshi bt Inam Qadir 6-0,6-3; Nabeel Ali Qayum bt 6-3,0-6,6-1;M.Salar Khan bt Rayyan Khan 6-4,6-2Boys Singles 14& under 1st Round: Muzammil Bhand bt Saqib Ali 4-1,4-0; M.Shakib bt Majid Ali Bachani 4-0,4-1Men’s Singles Qualifying Final Round: Asad bt Danish 6-1; Abbas Khan bt Kashan Tariq 6-3; Abdal Haider bt Rafay 6-4; Huzaima Abdul Rehman w/o Hamid; Waqas Malik bt Azeem Khan 6-3; M. Huzaifa Khan bt Roshaan; Zaryab Khan bt Ilham Khan Wazir 6-4; Jibran ul Haq bt Aadil 6-2.

Germany, France, India qualify for semifinals: Pakistan to meet Australia on ThursdayAbdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Spain’s 15 minutes game in the 3rd quarter overwhelmed all the efforts and strategies of Pakistan by scoring three goals in a quick succession by Pol Cabre on the 6th and 7th penalty-corner here at National Hockey Stadium Bukit Jalil here on Tuesday in the last quarterfinal of the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023.Pakistan earned lead 1-0 when skipper Abdul Hanan Shahid netted the ball in the 4th minute of the second quarter, as they maintained their lead in the first half. The third quarter was a nightmare for the Pakistan, as the Spanish players took the full advantage of errors, which were made by Pakistan’s defenders. The final score-line was 4-2.Germany beat Argentina (2-1):Defending champions Argentina went down 1-2 in a thriller against Germany. The Germans had better possession in a goalless first half but it was their keeper, Joshua Nnaji Onyekwue, who had to make an excellent diving save from a blistering Inaki Minadeo drag flick.The Germans were eventually rewarded for their dominance in the third quarter, Hugo von Montgelas turning his marker inside out at the top of the circle and firing home. Soon after, Paul Glander shaped up for a drag flick and slipped it left for Jakob Brilla to rocket home for a two-goal lead. But Argentina refused to lie down and Nnaji Onyekwue was again called on to deny them as the quarter ended. Argentina came alive early in the final quarter, Agustin Bonanno scoring early to set up a nail-biting finish. Argentina created numerous opportunities with a flurry of shots, five penalty corners, and a penalty stroke. They even subbed their keeper off with six minutes to play, but the German defence held firm around Onyekwue.India beat Netherlands (4-3):India came from behind twice in their gutsy 4-3 victory over a dominant Netherlands team. The Dutch had the perfect start, Timo Boers’ fifth-minute drag flick deflecting in high off the first wave’s foot, and Pepijn van der Heijden adding a second with a blistering low drag. That meant India went into the break trailing 0-2.The Indians fought back early in the second half, Araijeet Singh Hundal’s brilliant skills along the baseline setting up Aditya Arjun Lalage for a tap-in. Hundal drew India level a minute later with a penalty stroke, only for Olivier Hortensius to regain the lead for the Dutch with an excellent penalty corner deflection late in the third quarter. India weren’t done yet though, and Sourabh Anand Kushwaha drew them level once more with eight minutes left in the match. Captain Uttam Singh finally put India in front with four minutes remaining, completing a perfect penalty corner deflection from the p-spot. The Dutch immediately substituted their keeper and applied immense pressure, winning seven penalty corners in the last 90 seconds. But India defended these bravely with the keeper only being called on to save one as his runners charged the rest down, leaving the Dutch to rue many missed opportunities.France beat Australia (3-2):France emerged victorious in their 3-2 clash with Australia. There was very little to separate the teams until Noé Jouin’s diving deflection at the right post from a penalty corner in the 17th minute. Gaspard Denis pounced on a loose ball outside the Australian circle four minutes later and was allowed to run unchecked towards goal before popping it over the keeper’s shoulder from close range for a 2-0 lead.The teams traded goals within a minute of each other to end the third quarter, Jouin bagging a carbon copy of his first sliding deflection, and Australia hitting back with a Cooper Burns field goal. Burns converted an excellent penalty corner variation for his second early in the fourth quarter, setting up a tense finish. Australia had three penalty corners in the final 90 seconds but they were denied, first by the runner, then by keeper Marius Clement, and finally by a brave Tassilo Sura on the post.Spain beat Pakistan (4-2):Spain maintained their tournament momentum in an entertaining 4-2 win against Pakistan. The Spaniards were denied an early lead as Ali Raza made a good penalty corner save, and Pakistan then struck through captain Shahid Hannan’s field goal. Abdul Rafay made an excellent save to maintain Pakistan’s lead, and the rest of the half was tightly contested with both defences being tested.Still a goal down, Spain started well in the second half and were rewarded when Pol Cabre Verdiell and Aleix Bozal scored drag flicks within a minute of each other to go ahead. Jan Capellades denied Pakistan an equaliser with a good bit of positional keeping, and Spain immediately broke out for Pablo Espino to finish a good team goal. Sufyan Khan scored a drag flick to bring Pakistan back within one, but Cabre Verdiell responded immediately with another drag flick for the two-goal cushion. There were good scoring opportunities at both ends in the final quarter but neither defence could be breached.

India claim remarkable victory after going down 0-2 at first halfAbdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): India thrashed Netherlands 4-3 in the Men’s Juniors Hockey World Cup 2023 and moved into the semifinal here National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil on Tuesday despite of crawling behind 0-2 after first half of the game.It was a nerve-jangling second quarterfinal of the prestigious international hockey fixture. India were not enough good in the first two quarters of the match and they conceded two goals, which was scored on penalty corners. After going down 0-2, they changed their game plane and attacked on the opposite time back-to-back thrice. The final score was 4-3 in the favour of India that confirmed they will play semifinal against Germany, who defeated defending champions Argentina in the first quarterfinal. 

Belgium, South Africa, New Zealand and hosts Malaysia claim winsAbdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Lausanne, Switzerland: Still reeling from dropping out of quarter-final contention, Belgium produced a massive 12-goal win over Canada to ensure they progressed to the playoff for ninth to 12th place at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.They’ll take on Malaysia in their next match after the hosts claimed a 4-1 victory over Egypt. South Africa recorded a comfortable 5-1 win over Chile to set up a clash with New Zealand, who emerged as 3-2 victors in a closely fought encounter with Korea.Malaysia beat Egypt (4-1):Hosts Malaysia dominated all the statistics in their 4-1 win over Egypt. Harris Osman opened the scoring for Malaysia with a tap-in at the post after a powerful pass from midfield was deflected by two Malaysian players to undo the Egyptian defence. Mohamed Rafaizel produced some high-quality goalkeeping to deny the Egyptians before Harizan Faris fired a straight drag flick home for Malaysia to lead 2-0 at half-time.Malaysia were awarded 14 penalty corners in the second half but Mahmoud Hassan and the Egyptian defence frustrated them with some fine saves. Muhammad Danish Aiman eventually produced a low drag flick to beat the keeper on his right foot, and Che Nur Aqilrullah completed the win with a scrambled goal from open play. There was some consolation for the Egyptians as Abdelmonem Basel rifled in a brilliant goal.Belgium beat Canada (12-0):Belgium romped home 12-0 against Canada with three players completing hat-tricks or better – Max Luyten completing his in the opening 10 minutes. First was a neat tap-in from in front of goal, followed by a diving deflection at the post. His third was an incredible reflex deflection as he was diving towards goal, somehow getting his stick to a ball high above his sliding body. Lucas Balthazar added a drag flick for the Belgians to end the half 4-0 up.Balthazar added two more in the second half – both from penalty corners – while Hugo Labouchere bagged his hat-trick in the space of eight minutes in the third quarter from two accurate drag flicks and a penalty stroke. Labouchere slotted in his fourth off a drag flick in the fourth quarter, Thomas Crols added a field goal and Luyten grabbed his fourth as the Belgians wrapped up the mammoth win.South Africa beat Chile (5-1):South Africa produced a dominant performance in beating Chile 5-1. Hans Neethling picked out a perfectly placed Ditlhakanyane Leruo who fired in from close range for an early score. David Tshebi then found himself on the end of another Neethling feed and teased his shot past the keeper to double the lead by half-time.The South Africans opened the gap even further in the third quarter, Neethling riding a heavy challenge and finding the net for his first, and then getting on the end of the good pass to deflect in for his second. Alexei de Witt pulled one back for the Chileans from a penalty corner, the South African keeper beaten by a big deflection off the first wave’s leg. But Nathan Ansell put in another one for South Africa, the penalty corner injector pouncing on the rebound after Julián Villanueva made a good initial save.New Zealand beat Korea (3-2):New Zealand came from behind for a 2-3 win in a hotly contested match against Korea. The Koreans scored first, JunYeol Lim working beautifully in the circle for a reverse stick goal. Jonty Elms struck back to level the scores at 1-1 just before half-time.James Hickson rounded off some good inter-passing to give the junior Black Sticks the lead for the first time after 37 minutes. But Korea drew level within a minute, Dohyun Lim rifling a penalty corner in low at the keeper’s left foot. New Zealand then reclaimed the lead, Luke Aldred setting Scott Cosslett up with a beautifully executed short corner variation. Korea pulled their keeper off in the dying minutes to chase the game but the Kiwis absorbed the sustained period of pressure to hold on for the win.

Green Shirts lock horns against heavyweight Belgium 1-1 in their last Pool fixtureSports Bulletin ReportKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Pakistan have confirmed their place at the top-eight stage of the Men’s Juniors Hockey World Cup 2023 after playing 1-1 draw in their last Pool match here at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium on Saturday. Pakistan will face Spain on December 12 in the quarterfinals at the same venue. Arbaaz Ahmed scored a goal through a penalty corner in the 42nd minute, while Jack scored a goal on behalf of Belgium in the third minute of the match. On this occasion, the team is accompanied by Manager Lt. Col. R. Asif Naz Khokhar, Head Coach Revelant Altmans, Olympian Shakeel Abbasi, International Mohammad Ali, International Mohammad Asif Khan, Physiotherapist Mohammad Aslam and Video Analyst Nadeem Lodhi are present in the coaching panel.​