Pakistan defeated New Zealand 4-2 to secure third place in the 14th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup here on Sunday. It was scant consolation for the Pakistanis, who threw away their chance of reaching the final when they were beaten 1-0 by hosts Malaysia in league play on Friday.
Pakistan had been the most impressive side in the seven-team event but their shock loss on Friday relegated them to the third/fourth-place play-off and allowed South Korea to sneak into the final against defending champions Australia.
Rehan Butt and Adnan Zakir put Pakistan 2-0 ahead after only 19 minutes but New Zealand fought back with a penalty stroke from Dean Couzins and a short corner from Richard Petherick.
Pakistan lifted a gear in the second half with goals from Mudassar Ali Khan and Butt sealing victory.
"At the start of the tournament, it was not in our minds to win it, but we came close," said Pakistan coach Tahir Zaman. "Ultimately, we were able to give some young players exposure to top-class hockey and that will definitely benefit them."
Earlier in the day India gained a measure of revenge against Malaysia when they beat the hosts 2-1 in extra-time to finish fifth. India were thrashed 4-1 by Malaysia during the round-robin stages of the competition last week but were given a chance to redeem themselves in the play-off for fifth and sixth place.
However, they needed a field goal from Prabhjot Singh seven minutes into extra-time for the victory after the two sides completed 70 minutes locked at 1-1.
Malaysia, who finished fifth in league play, one place ahead of India, took an early lead when Hairul Nizam Abdul Rani scored with a field goal. India's short corner specialist Len Aiyappa equalised for his country 17 minutes later from the set piece.
Neither side were able to score in the second half and tempers frayed late in the game, resulting in red cards for Malaysia's Jiwa Mohan and India's Deepak Thakur.
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