Key Takeaways
- Pakistan’s hockey team won 5-1 against Uzbekistan, maintaining their winning streak.
- The kabaddi team secured a 58-43 victory over Nepal, setting up a clash with Thailand.
- Pakistan’s fencing and soft tennis teams struggled, losing all their matches.
Pakistan’s hockey and kabaddi teams continued their strong performances at the Asian Games on Tuesday, while the fencing and soft tennis teams faced significant challenges.
In the hockey pool, Pakistan secured their second win, defeating Uzbekistan 5-1 at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. The match saw a goalless first quarter, followed by a series of goals that turned the tide in Pakistan’s favor.
Mohammad Ammad opened the scoring in the 18th minute, but Uzbekistan equalized just before halftime. Sufyan Khan restored the lead in the 21st minute, and Abdul Rehman doubled the advantage in the 40th minute. Abu Mahmood and Sufyan Khan added further goals, ensuring a comfortable victory.
Pakistan’s next match is against China, who beat Thailand 8-1, on Thursday.
The kabaddi team also had a successful day, defeating Nepal 58-43 in a Group B clash at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium. Led by captain Mudassar Ali, Pakistan built a 30-17 lead by halftime, forcing six all-outs and claiming eight bonus points.
Pakistan’s defence was particularly strong, with 44 outs recorded in total. The victory sets up a clash with Thailand on Wednesday.
In fencing, Pakistan’s Baryal Khan and Mohammed Yaseen Khan faced a tough day, losing all five of their bouts. Baryal Khan fell to India’s Sachin 5-0, then lost to Jeonghyun Youn of South Korea 5-1. He also lost to Mongolia’s Chingis Narmandakh (5-2), Kazakhstan’s Galim Nurumov (5-1), and Chinese Taipei’s Chih-Chieh Chen (5-2).
Youngster Yaseen, 18, lost four of his five bouts 5-0, managing a single point in his only competitive encounter, a 5-1 defeat to Kazakhstan’s Timofey Semyonov. Qatar’s Abdulrahman Poorgharib, South Korea’s Kwanghyun Lee, Oman’s Ahmed Keskes, and China’s Zhaoran Zheng all handed him 5-0 defeats.
In equestrian, Pakistan’s Usman Khan placed 19th out of 32 competitors in the individual eventing dressage phase, riding Eden du Veret to a score of 36.70 penalties (63.33 per cent). The 45-year-old delivered a mid-pack performance, finishing just below the halfway mark.
The soft tennis singles event saw Eraj Zaidi and Kainaat Shallwani each lose both of their matches 4-0 at the Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Centre. In the men’s section, Mohammad Ali and Hussain Arain fared no better, losing all of their matches without winning a single game.
