Team
Pakistan Men’s National Hockey team fell short of booking a place in the Paris Olympics 2024. In the third/fourth place match in the Paris Olympics Qualification matches Pakistan had to win the match against New Zealand. The Kiwis defeated the Green Shirts by 3 goals to 2 in the third/fourth place match.
After a loss, a win, and, a draw in the pool matches, Pakistan qualified for the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics qualification round. The top three teams of this qualification round were to book their spot in the Paris Olympics 2024. After losing their semi-final match against Germany and Pakistan they still had an opportunity to qualify for the Olympics.
In the third/fourth position match against New Zealand Pakistan took the lead in the 18th match of the all-important match. Abu Mahmood netted the ball into New Zealand’s goal on a penalty corner.
Scott Boyd found an equalizer for his team in the 24th minute of the match, leveling the score and setting the match equally poised on level terms.
The men in green regained the lead shortly after New Zealand scored the equalizer, after that Pakistan maintained a good amount of ball position. At this game stage, it seemed like Pakistan would qualify for the Paris Olympics. The dreams of qualifying for the Olympics were soon shattered by the Kiwis when they scored the equalizing goal in the 52nd minute.
After scoring the equalizing goal in the 52nd minute, the New Zealand team kept the ball in position and also kept attacking and threatening the Pakistani goal, the pressure finally paid off when the men in black found the winner in the 58th minute of the match.
The score line of 3-2 in favor of New Zealand remained till the final whistle of the match. The close contest saw New Zealand qualify for the semi-finals and also witnessed the failure of Pakistan in qualifying for the Olympics for the third time in a row.
Earlier Germany thrashed Pakistan convincingly in the semi-final with a score of 4-0, and Great Britain was victorious in the other semi-final with a scoreline of 3-1 against New Zealand.
Pakistan hockey team also failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It is to be noted that Pakistan has three gold medal wins in the history of the Olympics. The last time Pakistan won the gold medal in the Olympics in hockey was back in 1984 when the Pakistan hockey team was at its peak.
With three Olympic Gold Medals and four World Cup wins Pakistan was considered one of the best hockey teams in the world in the 1980s and ’90s. in the last two decades, Pakistan hockey has seen an enormous downfall. A team that used to threaten its opposition now finds it difficult to even qualify for the Olympics and the World Cups.
