Pakistan’s junior hockey team qualified for the Sultan of Johor Cup final after drawing 2-2 with Japan in their final round-robin match on Friday.

The match took place at Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru. Pakistan twice came from behind to secure the draw and book their place in the title clash.

Hamza Fayyaz scored in the 34th minute, while Ghulam Mustafa added Pakistan’s second goal in the 43rd minute.

Pakistan Qualify on Goals Scored

Pakistan and Japan both finished the league stage with seven points and a goal difference of plus eight. However, Pakistan secured the final spot because they scored more goals during the tournament.

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The Green Shirts scored 18 goals, compared with Japan’s 16, to claim the advantage in the standings.

Pakistan finished the preliminary round with two wins, one draw and one defeat.

Pakistan’s Road to the Final

Pakistan began their campaign with an impressive 8-3 victory over China. They followed it with a 6-2 win against Canada.

However, the team suffered its only defeat against hosts Malaysia, who secured a narrow 3-2 victory.

Despite that setback, Pakistan recovered to finish strongly and qualify for the championship match.

Malaysia Await Pakistan in Final

Pakistan will face Malaysia in the final on Saturday at the same venue.

The hosts have remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and secured their place in the title match before the final round of league fixtures.

Pakistan will now aim to complete their campaign with the Sultan of Johor Cup trophy. However, they face a tough challenge against an unbeaten Malaysian side on home turf.