Pakistan fought back gallantly to hold the European champions, the Netherlands, to a 3-3 draw in the Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup Group D match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil this morning.
The Jong Oranje had taken a 2-0 lead through Boris Aardenburg in the 21st minute, and Casper van der Veen’s 30th-minute strikes via field goals just before the end of the first half.
But the Pakistanis, who appeared on the JWC podium on each of the five tournaments played between 1979 and 1993, were quick to restore their fortunes after the break.
First, it was Arshad Liaqat who turned the ball past goalkeeper Daan Taphoorn and into goal to reduce the deficit 2-1, and Sufyan Khan converted a 36th-minute penalty corner to draw level 2-2.
The Netherlands are yet to win a JWC title since the inaugural 1979 event and were silver medallists from 1985, and in 2009 finished fifth at the Bhubaneswar 2021 event, a result which proved good enough for a ticket to the 2023 competition.
The Dutch found their way back into the game after the break, though the heat and constant yellow cards had disrupted the flow for both teams. Oliver Hortensius kept the Netherlands ahead in th 47th minute with a well-executed field goal in the but the Pakistanis earned a penalty stroke in the 56th minute. Drag-flick specialist Ahmad Arbaz made no mistake to level score 3-3.
Pakistan recently finished fourth on Malaysian turf at the Sultan of Johor Cup, with Arbaz scoring four times in the competition.
In another match, Belgium slammed four goals past New Zealand to get off to a good start in Group D of the Junior World Cup today.
The Young Red Lions, ranked fifth in the FIH Junior world Rankings, took the lead in the 18th minute through Hugo Labouchere via a penalty stroke, and by the 34th minute, Belgium sealed a 4-0 lead with more goals from Jack Vloeberghs (18th min), Louis Depelsenaire (21st) and Thomas Crols (34th). The last three strikes were field goals.
Belgium lead Group D with three points, followed by the Netherlands and Pakistan with one point each.
Roelant Oltmans, Pakistan coach said: “It was a good result. It could have been 4-3 but Holland also had a few opportunities. In the end, it was a fair result, especially the way we fought back. We did a few stupid things in the second quarter, to be honest.
“We are lacking a bit of competition. Our last game was in the Sultan of Johor Cup and before that, the Junior Asia Cup. This team is not playing enough international matches. If you make small mistakes, Holland is a team that will immediately punish, and that was what happened today.
One of the things that made a lot of difference in our play was the cards. Both teams received yellow cards and conceded goals.
Jesse Mahieu, Netherlands coach, said: “Overall, I am happy with the result. I would rather have a win, but anyway, a draw is also a result, and that is good. I wasn’t happy with the first five minutes after the break. But after that, we fought back into the game. We had to fight after the yellow card, and I think we did that well. If we look at the details, we should have won.
“We can’t deny it is hot and humid, but managed I well.
Jeroen Baart, Belgium coach, said: “I am very happy with the three points. The result of the game favours us, and we are happy. There was a bit of nerves running in the match, and this is a normal thing when you have tournament for youngsters.
“New Zealand is an opponent we don’t know very well and the heat was also affecting both teams. The first quarter was a bit messy, and after that, we went back to our non-negotiable mood. The second and third quarters, we really deserve to score those goals. Fourth quarter, there was fatigue in both teams. We tried not to concede.
“Aaron Ford, New Zealand coach, said: “We are obviously not happy with our performance. Belgium is a very strong team, but no excuses. The result is not what we wanted. It showed in the first quarter we played well, but after that, we just could not hold to stop Belgium from scoring.
“It’s pretty frustrating, and we need to come back against Pakistan tomorrow. But when we played against them in the SOJC, even though we lost 2-3, it showed that we were able to give them a challenge. We go into the match against Pakistan with confidence.
Results: Netherlands 3 Pakistan 3; Belgium 4 New Zealand 0
