New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 4-3 in a thrilling encounter at the FIH Nations Cup in Malaysia, despite the Green Shirts holding a strong lead early in the match.

 

Pakistan played aggressively in the beginning and was up by 3-1 at the end of the first half. Nic Woods opened the scoring for New Zealand in the sixth minute, but Abdul Rehman struck twice in the 13th and 14th minutes to give Pakistan the lead. Rana Waheed Ashraf added a third goal in the 28th minute to strengthen their advantage.

 

The momentum shifted in the third quarter when Scott Colson scored back-to-back goals in the 43rd and 45th minutes, levelling the score at 3-3. He then completed his hat-trick in the 52nd minute with a goal from a penalty corner, putting New Zealand ahead 4-3.

 

Pakistan must now wait for the result of the Malaysia vs Japan match to know their semi-final fate. A defeat for the host team would open the door for Pakistan to qualify for the final four.

 

Meanwhile, France and South Korea have already booked their spots in the semi-finals from Pool A.