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INCHEON: Defending champion Pakistan beat arch-rivals India 2-1 in a pool “B” match in the Asian Games hockey event at Munhak Hockey Stadium on Thursday.
The crucial encounter decided the fate of the group as the win lifted Pakistan to the top of the pool, sealing a place for the defending champions in the semi-finals.
Pakistan will be meeting Oman in its last league tie.
Pakistan is so far looking strong having earlier won two opening leagues. While there were some problems against China in the first two quarters, the team delivered sparkling performance in the last 20-minutes.
Bhutta scored the first goal in the 37th minute, leading Pakistan 1-0 at the end of the third quarter with only 15 minutes left to play.
Nikkin Thimmaiah leveled the score for India in the 53rd minute, only for Pakistan to take the lead again two minutes later as Waqas scored after a great scramble.
The defeat was the first in three games for the Indian side.
Pakistan now advance to the event's semi-finals.
The winner between India and China on Saturday will determine the other semi-finalist from the pool. Both teams are level on six points from three matches.
Japan blank Singapore 13-0
Meanwhile, Kenta Tanaka and Toshiro Tachibana slammed hat-tricks as Japan blanked Singapore 13-0 to remain in contention for the semi-finals from pool A.
With two wins from three games, Japan drew level with hosts South Korea and Malaysia, who meet later on Wednesday after gaining full points from their first two matches.
Singapore ended the competition with four losses, having conceded 35 goals and scored only three.
Japan's Korean coach Kang Keon-Wook admitted Saturday's match against Malaysia will be crucial to his team's chances.
“Malaysia are a strong team so I guess it is going to be a pretty intense match,” Kang said. “We have made plans for that game and ensure our strong points are not wasted.
“Oman recorded their first win in three pool B games with a 3-1 romp over winless Sri Lanka, but the effort came too late to stay in line for the semi-finals.
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Comments (72) Closed
Sep 25, 2014 01:38pm
Lets treat it as a sport and let whichever team plays better win the contest. Good luck to both sides.
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Sep 25, 2014 02:07pm
Good Luck Team Pakistan. May your leaders have some compassion towards your pathetic disintegrating condition!
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Sep 25, 2014 02:39pm
Finally a good news, wahoo hockey team keep it up ........ Love you all, you are pride of Pakistan
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Sep 25, 2014 02:43pm
All the best for the men in green!!!
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Sep 25, 2014 02:44pm
Make us proud!
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Sep 25, 2014 02:46pm
Yippy.... great job
Pakistan Zindabad
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Sep 25, 2014 02:46pm
Nice
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Sep 25, 2014 02:52pm
Pakistan .. MUBARKBAD
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Sep 25, 2014 02:53pm
Proud of you team Pakistan.
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Sep 25, 2014 02:57pm
Congratulations to Pakistan Team.
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Sep 25, 2014 02:57pm
Congrats. Good Luck for forthcoming matches.
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Sep 25, 2014 03:07pm
Congratulations to Shehnaz Sheikh and his team.
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Sep 25, 2014 03:11pm
Congrats to all Pakistanis. It was really a much needed victory and a positive sign for our national team. The way we played last two games and demonstrated the same consistency today, it will really boost the moral of our national team. One can hope that our team will display the same verve and energy in coming matches, and will finally return as "winners".
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Sep 25, 2014 03:13pm
Pakistan was the better team,deserved to win.
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Sep 25, 2014 03:17pm
Congratulation to the hockey players of Pakistan. You made me happy. I wish good luck to the teams of Pakistan and India for their future games.
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Sep 25, 2014 03:19pm
Congrats to Team Pakistan, I always like the intensity and passion with which you all guys play...
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Sep 25, 2014 03:35pm
Congratulation to pak team . Playing against India should be increased to revel in the tradional hockey style
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Sep 25, 2014 03:39pm
Yay!! Congratulations!!
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Sep 25, 2014 03:48pm
I would love to see more hockey as compared to cricket between India and Pakistan. We need to focus more on our own game.
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Sep 25, 2014 04:03pm
Congrats pakistan..whenever india and pakistan meet , traditional hocley wins!!!
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Sep 25, 2014 04:03pm
Congratulations Team Pakistan. Way to go men in green. Better luck next time Team Blue. :-)
Greetings from INDIA.
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Sep 25, 2014 04:16pm
Well done team Pakistan ......
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Sep 25, 2014 04:34pm
Congratulations Pakistan !!!
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Sep 25, 2014 04:45pm
Congratulations Pakistan. Now go win against Aus, EU team in future contests and bring the Olympic glory to the sub-continent.
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Sep 25, 2014 04:47pm
Congratulations to the Greenshirts!
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Sep 25, 2014 04:49pm
Pakistan defeated India, we won the tournament, regardless.
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Sep 25, 2014 04:53pm
Congratulations Pakistan
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Sep 25, 2014 05:02pm
after mars mission there was flood of congratulations from PAKISTAN. now there is reverse flow for ur team success .
congregation brothers
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Sep 25, 2014 05:05pm
@Zak Fine..if you think so. But we are no more 1 and 2. Others are way ahead so if any one of us beat them and become champion, I am more than happy. It simply instills confidence on our technic, stamina and pur strength
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Sep 25, 2014 05:15pm
don’t take pride in petty sports. India reached mars yesterday.
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Sep 25, 2014 05:15pm
@Sudhakar Thanks
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Sep 25, 2014 05:27pm
@Zak: Grow up dear...broaden your horizon. This is not India-Pakistan series but Asian games. Atleast being as Pakistani, you should have wished for Gold medal for your team.
I am sure your players must be targeting for gold; not just to defeat India.
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Sep 25, 2014 05:38pm
Let us hope both neighbours reach the finals and India squares it up.
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Sep 25, 2014 05:42pm
Well done green-shirts. Keep it up and hang on tough.
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Sep 25, 2014 05:47pm
Pakistan, you make me happy!
Congratulations.
Go all the way.
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Sep 25, 2014 05:48pm
@Anup
I think your respone would have been different if India would have won. Anyways best of luck in the future matches.
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Sep 25, 2014 05:55pm
From the news item, one cannot figure out in which country this tournament is being played?
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Sep 25, 2014 06:11pm
Well fought game. In the end the deserving team won
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Sep 25, 2014 06:18pm
@M. Siddique - and how does that matter in this outcome?
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Sep 25, 2014 06:21pm
Congratulation
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Sep 25, 2014 06:23pm
Good news for Pakistan
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Sep 25, 2014 06:24pm
fine
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Sep 25, 2014 06:25pm
@Ariba my response was to the previous news under the title about today's match. So, the news itself was changed after the match and my comment was published. Bty, my response would have been same, I don't like concept of using those players as punching bags for the sake of this rivalry.
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Sep 25, 2014 06:28pm
Congrats to team Pakistan.now go on and win the gold medal.then aim to beat the European teams and bring back the glory of our times when we were the world champions.beating India is very much satisfying but should not be our only aim.pakistan zindabad.love you pakistan
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Sep 25, 2014 06:30pm
May the better team win the game. Actually the European teams are much netter than the Asian teams. Also, Argentina can beat the Asian teams
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Sep 25, 2014 06:51pm
Congrats to Pakistan from India... Didnt watch it, but an exhilarating sport and two great teams should have made it a really superb game!
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Sep 25, 2014 06:51pm
Pakistan zindabad.well done boys
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Sep 25, 2014 06:53pm
defending champion "PAKISTAN" Isn't this long gone memory?
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Sep 25, 2014 06:54pm
@junaid - Bro, sarcastic or not, it was a bad comment! We are our nation's ambassadors, so let's interact that way...
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Sep 25, 2014 07:05pm
Congratulations...
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Sep 25, 2014 07:10pm
Well played...your team were better today...don't settle anything less than gold... All the best ...
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Sep 25, 2014 07:26pm
Mubarakan, rab rakha!
Love from Ludhiana!
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Sep 25, 2014 07:28pm
@Zak : That is so 1980s way of thinking. Think big, aim higher than India. "IF" you can, thrash the Aussie. Beat the snooty EUROPEAN teams. Bring the Olympic glory back to the sub continent. If you can do that I will be the first one to celebrate Pakistan's victory. This silly Pak-Indo rivalry for the last positions is sickening to watch.
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Sep 25, 2014 07:30pm
Congrats now we have chance to play again in finals :)
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Sep 25, 2014 07:35pm
Congratulations Pakistan.
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Sep 25, 2014 08:09pm
Congratulations team Pakistan. Now go for gold
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Sep 25, 2014 08:15pm
congrats guys
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Sep 25, 2014 08:57pm
ye dharnay kay khilaf sazish hay. Nawaz Govt. kay hotay huey Pakistan kaisay jeet sakta hay. (A possible eyebrow from Imran/Qadri)
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Sep 25, 2014 10:36pm
Well done team Green. Thrashing our rivals india is always awesome news.
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Sep 25, 2014 10:57pm
I am an Indian settled in US. Lots of my non-asian friends ask me about Indo-pak tension and people not liking each other etc and I always point them to this site. The readers here display the true feelings between this 2 country rest every thing else is politically motivated. yes there are some exceptions though, right ZAK.
CONGRATS PAK, I WILL BE HAPPY IF YOU GUYS WIN GOLD
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Sep 25, 2014 11:28pm
Reading through the comments, I cannot believe my eyes..... Are Indians and Pakistanis posting here? No gali-galoch? Is it earth or planet Mars?
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Sep 25, 2014 11:47pm
@Shash I support preferential winners in this order, 1-Pakistan 2- China3-Sri Lanka 4- Malaysia.
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Sep 26, 2014 12:28am
Good job to the Pakistani team.
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Sep 26, 2014 01:05am
Well played team Pakistan.......
Congratulations.........
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Sep 26, 2014 01:10am
Pakistan played better than us and deserved to win. Congrats to all Pakistanis from India.
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Sep 26, 2014 02:55am
yay we won!!!
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Sep 26, 2014 03:06am
@junaid Right said Sir, It is time to compete in knowledge and science, advancement of society. In games one of two teams win and loose. Let us concentrate on development and betterment of our citizens than showing each other down.
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Sep 26, 2014 11:11am
Brilliant & Outstanding fast paced "Asian" hockey at its best compared to the boring European power play hockey! This is "Real" field hockey...not a single dull moment thanks to the scintillating pace, stick work and skills.
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Sep 26, 2014 11:21am
As a 10 year old I so very well remember watching Ind-Pak hockey matches in early 1980s, and few of them played live in Bombay. Akhtar Rasool, Samiullah, Kaleemullah, Hassan Sardar...Merwyn Fernandes, Pargat Singh, Zafar Iqbal....simply unbelievable talent! Back then people actually loved hockey and not the national jingoism of playing arch-rivals
The change to astro-turf killed traditional hockey :(
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Sep 26, 2014 04:20pm
Congratulations to Pakistan for their victory in hockey match against us ( India). Hope it brings smile to all of you.
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Sep 27, 2014 09:43am
Congrats are definitely in order...but please do not let this win against India get to your heads...please keep focus, work hard as a team; and bring home the Gold Medal, like our girls did in their final match against Bangladeshi women, and earned the first Gold Medal for Pakistan.
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Sep 29, 2014 11:15pm
wo-ho!!! I can die happy now!
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