Pakistan’s junior hockey team secured a place in the semi-finals of the Men’s Junior Hockey Asia Cup 2026 after registering an impressive 5-2 victory over Malaysia in a Pool B encounter in China on Tuesday.
The win marked Pakistan’s third consecutive triumph in the tournament, keeping the team unbeaten and moving them to the top of the group standings with nine points.
Malaysia made a strong start and opened the scoring in the ninth minute through Muhammad Salehi, giving his side a 1-0 advantage. Pakistan trailed at the break but produced a dominant second-half performance to turn the match around.
Nadeem Khan brought Pakistan level in the 32nd minute before Abdullah Sami Rana put his team ahead just four minutes later. Pakistan then tightened its grip on the contest as Waleed Rana struck twice in quick succession in the 39th and 40th minutes, extending the lead to 4-1.
The momentum continued when Ali Hamza found the net in the 41st minute, scoring Pakistan’s fifth goal of the match. His outstanding performance earned him the Player of the Match award.
Malaysia managed to pull one goal back in the 54th minute through Ganaselen Dhirsh, but it was not enough to stop Pakistan from claiming a convincing 5-2 victory.
With a semi-final spot already secured, Pakistan will now face Bangladesh in their final Pool B fixture on Wednesday as they look to maintain their unbeaten run in the tournament.
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