AMSTELVEEN (Netherlands): Pakistan staged a comeback in the final quarter to hold Wales to a 3-3 draw in their second pool match of the FIH World Cup at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen on Monday.

Abdul Rehman gave Pakistan an early lead through a field goal in the third minute of the pool ‘D’ match.

Wales responded strongly in the second quarter as Gareth Furlong levelled the score in the 25th minute before Rhys Bradshaw put Wales ahead just 31 seconds later.

Trailing 2-1, Pakistan launched a fight back in the final quarter.

Sufyan Khan converted a penalty corner in the 49th minute to restore parity, while Hannan Shahid scored a superb field goal in the 51st to put Pakistan 3-2 ahead.

Wales, however, fought back once again with Furlong scoring his second goal of the match in the 53rd minute to make it 3-3.

The Green-shirts continued to press for the winning goal in the closing stages, creating attacking opportunities, but Wales managed to hold firm as the match ended in a thrilling draw.

The draw gave Pakistan their first point of the tournament following their 4-1 defeat at the hands of England, while Wales also secured their first point in the 16-nation showpiece.

Pakistan in their last pool game face traditional rivals India on Wednesday.

Later on Monday, England overcame India 4-2 at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in another pool ‘D’ match.

In a pool ‘B’ match staged at the Stade Justin Peeters in Wavre on Monday, France played a 3-3 draw against Malaysia.

On Sunday, Argentina, Netherlands, Australia and Spain recorded victories in their respective pool matches.

In pool ‘A’ games held in Amstelveen, Argentina blanked Japan 3-0 while the Netherlands thrashed New Zealand 5-1.

Australia and Spain sealed identical 3-1 victories against Ireland and South Africa, respectively in the pool ‘C’ matches held in Wavre.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2026