Malaysia hand Pakistan first defeat in Asian Games 2026 hockey competition

NAGOYA: Sufyan Khan's four-goal effort went in vain as Malaysia edged past Pakistan 5-4 in the Pool B match of the Asian Games 2026 men's hockey competition here at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium on Saturday.

The Green Shirts, who were on a three-match winning streak, got off to a desired start to the top-of-the-table clash, with Sufyan successfully converting a penalty corner in the third minute to open the scoring.

But Malaysia responded quickly through Shello Silverius, who scored a sensational field goal to make it 1-1, which persisted until the conclusion of the opening quarter.

The subsequent quarter saw Malaysia pull ahead as Faizal Saari converted a penalty corner in the 23rd minute, and their one-goal advantage remained intact until halftime.

Following the break, Pakistan launched a relentless attack on Malaysia with Sufyan converting two penalty corners in the span of just four minutes and putting them ahead 3-2, but their dominance lasted only two minutes as Malaysia neutralised through Fitri Saari, who struck in a similar fashion.

With the scoreboard reading 3-3, Pakistan made a decent start to the final quarter as Sufyan Khan converted yet another penalty corner to score his fourth goal for the side and put them ahead.

Malaysia, however, once again neutralised their advantage as Silverius converted a penalty corner in the 56th minute to net his second, while Abu Kamal Azrai scored in the following minute to turn the tide in his side's favour.

Although Pakistan were awarded a penalty corner in the 58th minute, the Green Shirts could not score the equaliser and ultimately settled for a narrow 5-4 defeat, which was their first in the competition.

On the contrary, it marked Malaysia's fourth consecutive victory and helped them consolidate the top spot in the Pool B standings with 12 points and a hefty goal difference of 25.

Pakistan, on the other hand, remained second with nine points in four matches and a goal difference of 15.

The Green Shirts next face Oman in their last league-stage match of the Asian Games 2026, scheduled to be played at the same venue on Monday.