INCHEON: Mohammed Dilber scored a goal and helped set up the other as Pakistan claimed a vital 2-0 victory over China in their Asian Games hockey match at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium on Sunday.

Inspired by teenage winger Dilber, Pakistan scored in the third and fourth quarter after China’s goalkeeper Xu Rui had kept the Greenshirts at bay in the opening two quarters.

“Dilber displayed excellent stick work,” Pakistan had-coach Shahnaz Sheikh said at the post-match press conference. “We did remarkably well in the last two quarters to change the course of the game.”

Shahnaz, however, wasn’t too pleased with his side’s profligacy in front of goal.

“We could’ve won by a bigger margin of five or six goals but the missed opportunities put us under pressure,” Shahnaz, whose side had romped to a 14-0 win over Sri Lanka in their pool ‘B’ opener on Saturday, added. “China are a fighting unit and at a different level than Sri Lanka.”

Pakistan were put under early pressure by the Chinese with Imran Butt forced into a block barely five minutes in.

They settled down in the second quarter but Umar and Mohammad Waqas were guilty of missing good chances.

Pakistan’s only penalty corner came in the 40th minute but Mohammad Imran’s scoop went wide, adding to their frustration.

Abdul Haseem Khan, however, eased their nerves two minutes later when he scored from a brilliant running cross from the left wing by Dilber.

Dilber then put the seal on their victory when he banged in the second with his smart reverse flick giving Xu no chance. Shakeel Abbasi could’ve made it 3-0 three minutes from the hooter but Xu stood firm.

“We played well in the first two periods but Pakistan showed their experience,” China’s head-coach Gui Yingbiao said.

Pakistan’s next match on Thursday is against arch-rivals India, who trounced the Sri Lankans 8-0 in the other pool match on Sunday, and they will go into that clash in high spirits as they sit atop the pool on goal difference.

NASIR, MARIA FALL

While the hockey players were euphoric, the Pakistan’s other participants didn’t have much to celebrate on the second day of competition at the Games.

India’s Sourav Ghoshal ended Pakistan’s dream of a double gold in the squash event when he defeated Nasir Iqbal 11-6, 9-11, 11-2 in the quarter-finals of the men’s individual event.

The top-seeded Ghoshal, ranked 14th in the world, faced a strong challenge from world number 42 Nasir before recording a hard-fought victory in 58 minutes at the Yeorumul Squash Court.

Nasir will now turn his attention to helping Pakistan defend their team title when he joins Farhan Mehboob, Farhan Zaman and Danish Atlas in the event which starts from Wednesday.

Like Nasir, compatriot Maria Toorpakai also fell in the quarter-finals of the women’s individual event. Maria went down to Hong Kong’s Au Wing Chi Annie 3-11, 4-11, 4-11 in mere 18 minutes.

SHOOTERS DISAPPOINT

At the Ongnyeon International Shooting Range, Pakistan’s shooters also had a disappointing day.

Kalim Khan finished 28th in 10m air pistol event with a score of 570 out of 600 after rounds of 94, 96, 92, 95, 96 and 97. Rashid Yunusmetov of Kazakhstan topped the qualification round with a cumulative score of 586.

In the men trap team competition, a Pakistan side comprising Aamir Iqbal, Usman Chand and Fakhar-ul-Islam Qureshi mustered324 points to finish 10th in the 12-team contest.

Over in the pool, Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif crashed out of the 100m backstroke event after finishing eighth in his heat.

The 25-year-old clocked 1:04.53 at the Munhak Park Tae-Hwan Aquatics Centre, well below the time set by the winner of the heat, Turkmenistan’s Merdan Atayev (58.50).

BACH SUPPORT

There was good news for Pakistan off the field, though, with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach assuring his full support to the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) in the promotion and development of sports.

Bach met POA chief Arif Hasan on the sidelines of the Games and the latter spoke to reporters during a break in the Pakistan’s hockey match against China.

“It was a fruitful meeting as Mr. Thomas Bach was keen to extend support to POA and Pakistan for sports,” Arif said. “The IOC chief also wished Pakistan success at the Games.”

Arif, meanwhile, expressed his delight over Pakistan’s win over China.

“Our played gave it their best and I’m hopeful that we will continue our good run of form in the next game against India.”

Published in Dawn, September 22nd , 2014