MUSCAT: Pakistan men’s hockey team suffered a setback in their quest for a place at the 2024 Paris Olympics as they lost 3-2 against New Zealand in the third/fourth place match during the ongoing qualifiers in Muscat, Oman.
To advance to the Olympics in Paris, the team needed to secure third place in the qualification for the Olympics. The first quarter of the match remained goalless, but early in the second quarter, Abu Bakr Mahmood converted a penalty corner to give Pakistan the lead. However, New Zealand’s Scott Boyd equalized six minutes later.
Shortly after, Pakistan were awarded a penalty kick and Abu Bakr Mahmood scored to take the lead. The team held the advantage 1:2 until the last minutes of the last quarter. Eight minutes before the final whistle, Hugo Inglis from New Zealand scored to tie the game at 2:2. In the 58th minute, a Scott Boyd goal gave New Zealand a 2-3 lead, marking the final score.
A loss in the third-place match ended Pakistan’s bid for Olympic qualification. In the previous semi-final, Germany beat Pakistan 4-0 to book their place. Pakistan’s draw with Malaysia, where they secured the deciding point, put them through to the semi-finals.
Earlier in the week, Pakistan secured their first win by defeating China 2-0, but lost 6-1 to Britain on Monday. Despite finishing second in Group A behind Britain, Pakistan fell short in the third-place decider.
