There is a good news for fans as India beat Pakistan 5-3 in a thrilling match at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands which was played on Wednesday.
The win helped India reach the next round of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh and forward Abhishek scored two goals each while Hardik Singh scored from a penalty stroke. India controlled most of the match and kept Pakistan under pressure despite a strong fightback from their rivals.
How is Team India’s World Cup campaign going on?
If we talk about team India’s performance so far in World cup then they finished its FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 group stage with two wins and one loss. With six points, India finished second in the group behind unbeaten leaders England.
How were Pakistan on the field?
Pakistan’s Hannan Shahid scored two goals while Sufyan Khan scored one. However Pakistan could not make a comeback. The loss ended Pakistan’s World Cup campaign as they finished the group stage without a win with two defeats and one draw.
How was the match when it started?
India started the match strongly and put pressure on Pakistan from the beginning. Abhishek scored the first goal from a field play before Harmanpreet Singh scored from a penalty corner to give India a 2-0 lead. Pakistan hit back when Sufyan Khan scored from a penalty corner making it 2-1.
How did India control the match?
India took control of the game again before half-time. Harmanpreet Singh scored his second goal with a powerful drag flick while Abhishek also scored his second goal from a quick counter-attack. India went into the break with a strong 4-1 lead.
In the second half Hardik Singh scored from a penalty stroke after Pakistan committed a foul in the circle. Pakistan fought back in the fourth quarter with Hannan Shahid scoring two goals. However India defended well and won the match 5-3. India will now play in the second stage crossovers from 22th August full of confidence after this win.
India started tournament with a 3-1 win over Wales but then lost 2-4 to England. India needed something like good result against Pakistan to move forward and managed to win under pressure. England finished at the top of Pool D with a perfect record in which it includes an 8-2 win over Wales. India finished second with six points from three matches.
Pakistan returned to World Cup after missing the 2014 and 2023 editions. However then they finished at the bottom of the group with just one point. They drew 3-3 with Wales after losing heavily to England. Pakistan’s World Cup campaign will now continue in the classification matches for 9th to 16th place.