ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan hockey team has qualified for the semi-finals of the men’s hockey event at the 20th Asian Games 2026, defeating Oman 7-2 in a Group B match at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Monday.
At the beginning of the game, the Green Shirts played with an aggressive approach, scoring in the 22nd minute with Sufyan Khan netting a ball via a penalty corner.
In the 28th minute, both teams scored goals, with Al-Bara Al-Nofali scoring for Oman and Sufyan Khan for Pakistan from a penalty corner. At the end of the second quarter, Pakistan was leading 3-1.
The Green Shirts started the third quarter with Rana Waheed Ashraf’s goal in the 34th minute, while Mudit Aiman made a comeback for Oman in the 36th minute.
Rana Waheed Ashraf, who scored a hat-trick, netted another goal in the 44th minute, followed by Ghazanfar Ali’s goal in the 40th minute.
In the last quarter, one goal from Muhammad Imad in the 46th minute and Rana Waheed in the 59th brings Pakistan’s winning lead to 7-2.
Pakistan Hockey Federation President Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani congratulated the team on this magnificent victory and expressed hope that the national squad would continue its winning streak in the semi-finals with the same momentum and spirit.
Pakistan has so far played five hockey games at Asian Games, losing only one against Malaysia 5-4 on Saturday. Sufyan Khan netted all four goals from penalty corners for Pakistan. Green Shirts won their earlier fixtures against Thailand (4-0), Uzbekistan (5-1), and China (3-0).
In the first semifinal, Pakistan will face arch-rival India on October 1. Malaysia will face Korea in the second semi-final on October 3.
