Pakistan has officially secured a place in the U18 Asia Cup 2025 semi-finals. The Green Shirts defeated hosts China 2-1 in a thrilling group stage clash. The match was played at the Dazhou National Hockey Training Centre.
This win helped Pakistan top Group A with 12 points from four matches. They stayed unbeaten and ended the group stage with a remarkable goal difference of +21.
Forward Hassan Shahbaz gave Pakistan an early lead in the 11th minute. His powerful field goal came in a tightly contested first quarter. Both teams showed aggression in the second quarter. They each earned two penalty corners. But neither side could add to the score before halftime.
Pakistan’s second goal came late in the third quarter. Ali Hanzala broke through China’s defence and netted a brilliant field goal. China responded quickly. Jiaxing Lin converted a penalty corner and reduced the lead.
The final quarter saw relentless attacks from the hosts. China pushed hard for an equaliser. But Pakistan’s goalkeeper, Ghulam Mustafa, made several crucial saves. His performance was key in maintaining Pakistan’s lead till the final whistle.
With this hard-fought victory, the Green Shirts have now won all four of their group matches in the U18 Asia Cup 2025. Their campaign began with an 8-0 hammering of Hong Kong. They then crushed Sri Lanka 9-0 and beat Bangladesh 6-3. In total, the team has scored 25 goals and allowed just four.
Pakistan will now face Malaysia in the semi-final. The match will take place on Friday at the same venue in Dazhou.
Squad:
Mohammad Usman, Atif Ali, Asam Junaid, Mohammad Abdullah Farooq, Abdullah Awan, Zubair Lateef, Mohammad Yaseen, Mohammad Ali Taj, Ghulam Mustafa, Ali Hamza, Ali Hanzala, Aamir Sohail, Adeel Afzal, Mohammad Zaman, Mohammad Hussain, Mohammad Shaheer, Hasan Shahbaz, Yaseen Jamshaid.
