Muhammad Waqas scored the winner six minutes from time as defending champions Pakistan downed arch-rivals India 2-1 to reach the Asian Games semi-finals on Thursday. In a keenly contested pool B encounter, Muhammad Bhutta put Pakistan ahead in the third quarter before Nikkin Thimmaiah drew level at the start of the fourth. Waqas took advantage of a defensive lapse to hit the winner that gave unbeaten Pakistan a place in the semi-finals even before their last league match against Oman on Saturday.
The winner between India and China on Saturday will determine the other semi-finalist from the pool. Both teams are level on six points from three matches. Pakistan's coach Shahnaz Sheikh played down the rivalry against India, saying it was more important to gain full points from the match. "I think we played our best game in the tournament," Sheikh, a former international said. "Every match counts in an event like this and we are capable of doing well against any team.
"In Pakistan, hockey is a national sport and people celebrate when we win. It is not only about India. They want us to do well against every team." With the winner gaining a direct entry into the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Sheikh is anxious to get the gold medal again. "We did not qualify for the World Cup and that was a huge blow," he said. "We need to win this one because the qualifiers are tough."
India's Australian coach Terry Walsh was livid at the defeat, but said his team's campaign was not over yet. "It was frustrating to watch the game from outside," said Walsh. "But the good thing is that it was just a three-point match, not a semi-final or a final. "Pakistan had more desire to win than we did. Now we have to concentrate on the match against China. I will make sure our guys get more competitive."
Hosts South Korea also advanced to the last four with a 2-1 win over Malaysia, their third successive win in pool A. Nam Hyun-Woo banged in two penalty corners in the second and third quarters, before Mohammad Jalil narrowed the margin for Malaysia in the fourth. Meanwhile, Kenta Tanaka and Toshiro Tachibana slammed hat-tricks as Japan blanked Singapore 13-0 to remain in contention for the semi-finals from pool A.
With two wins from three games, Japan drew level with Malaysia, whom they play on Saturday to decide the second semi-finalist from the pool. Japan's Korean coach Kang Keon-Wook said his team was geared for the crucial game against the Malaysians, silver-medallists in Guangzhou four years ago. "Malaysia are a strong team so I guess it is going to be a pretty intense match," Kang said. "We have made plans for that game and ensure our strong points are not wasted."
Singapore ended the competition with four losses, having conceded 35 goals and scored only three. Oman recorded their first win in three pool B games with a 3-1 romp over winless Sri Lanka, but the effort came too late to stay in line for the semi-finals.
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