Pakistan beat Bangladesh to reach Hockey U18 Asia Cup semi-finals

KAKAMIGAHARA: Pakistan maintained strong momentum to defeat Bangladesh and book their place in the semi-finals of the ongoing Men’s U18 Asia Cup 2026 after a commanding 5-2 win in their final group-stage match at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.

The Green Shirts made a flying start as Abdullah Awan opened the scoring in the second minute of the first quarter to give Pakistan a 1-0 lead. 

Bangladesh responded quickly, with Islam Munna finding the equaliser in the 11th minute, as the opening quarter ended level at 1-1.

The second quarter saw Pakistan dominate possession and earn three penalty corners, but they were unable to convert any of them, and the half ended without further goals.

Pakistan regained the lead in the third quarter when Adeel scored in the 32nd minute. However, Bangladesh once again hit back almost immediately, as Islam Munna struck his second goal in the 35th minute to restore parity at 2-2.

The momentum then shifted firmly in Pakistan’s favour as they added two quick goals to take control of the contest. 

Haider Asam converted a penalty corner to make it 3-2, before Abdullah Awan netted his second of the match to extend the lead to 4-2 by the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, Pakistan sealed the victory when Najeeb Muhammad Yahya added the fifth goal in the 59th minute, confirming a comprehensive 5-2 triumph.

Pakistan began their campaign with a confident 3-0 win over China but suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat against Malaysia in their second group-stage fixture. Despite that setback, they topped Pool B with two wins from three matches to progress into the knockout stage.

Pakistan will now feature in the semi-finals on Friday, where they are likely to face arch-rivals India, while hosts Japan remain another possible opponent depending on final group standings.