Pakistan's hopes for qualifying for the Paris Olympics 2024 suffered a major blow after the national hockey team was handed a 4-0 defeat by Germany on Saturday in the semi-finals of the Olympics Qualifiers in Muscat, Oman.
However, all is not lost as the Green Shirts can still qualify for the Olympics if they manage to bag a win in the third position play-off.
The national side will face Great Britain or New Zealand as the two teams are set to face each other in the second semi-final later today.
Earlier in the day, the German team displayed their prowess with a series of well-executed goals, showcasing their skill and teamwork on the field. With this win, Germany have qualified for the Olympics 2024.
The opening goal came in the 11th minute when Tom Grambusch successfully converted a penalty corner, giving Germany an early lead in the first quarter of the game.
The momentum continued in the second quarter, with Niklas Wellen extending the lead by scoring a field goal in the 17th minute. The score at the end of the first half remained 2-0 in favour of Germany.
As the match progressed into the third quarter (Q3), Germany maintained their dominance. Niklas Wellen once again found the back of the net with a successful penalty corner in the 40th minute, further solidifying Germany's lead.
Justus Weigand added to the tally with a field goal in the 39th minute, bringing the score to 4-0 by the end of the third quarter. No goals were scored in the fourth quarter.
Remember, Pakistan played a 3-3 draw against Malaysia to earn a crucial point that was enough to propel the national side to the semis.
Pakistan secured their first win in the competition by defeating China 2-0.
The Men in Green had lost their first match against Great Britain on Monday by 6-1. Abdul Hanan Shahid managed to score the solitary goal for Pakistan, while Great Britain demonstrated superior strategy and execution.
It is to be noted that the national side finished second in Pool A with four points — behind Great Britain's nine points.
Meanwhile, China and Malaysia secured three and one points each, respectively.
Besides Germany, New Zealand have also qualified for the semis from Group B.
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