Pakistan beat Canada 8-1 in FIH Nations Cup

This picture from a June 3, 2024, film shows the Pakistani team celebrating after scoring a goal against Canada during the FIH Nations Cup in Poland. — Facebook page of Asian Hockey Federation.

Pakistan beat Canada 8-1 in FIH Nations Cup

During the FIH Nations Cup Monday, the Pakistani team dominated Canada 8-1 in Gniezno, Poland. Rana Waheed Ashraf scored four goals to lead the greens to victory. With one from Abdul Rehman and Hannan Shahid, Ghazanfar Ali of Pakistan also assured the victory.

When Sean Davis of Canada scored in the second minute of the match, Pakistan responded in less than five minutes after Waheed Ashraf’s outstanding goal tied the score.  When Rana doubled Pakistan’s advantage in the 27th minute, the Green Shirts led by one goal at the end of the second quarter.

Like the second quarter, the third saw the Green Shirts score another goal as Ghazanfar Ali found the back of the net. But the best was still to come as the Green Shirts outscored the Canadian team five more goals in an aggressive encounter. The fact that Pakistan scored all five of its goals in the last quarter—all of them came in the final ten minutes—was more astounding.

Pakistan presently tops Pool B with four points after their maiden victory in the competition. Pakistan recovered magnificently in the first game against Malaysia, scoring a last-minute goal to level the game.

After Malaysia led by three goals in the first quarter, Pakistan, who are renowned for their tenacity, levelled the score. On June 5, Pakistan will play France in their last pool encounter of the competition. Every pool’s top two teams will advance to the event’s semi-finals.