Pakistan beat Malaysia 3–0 to secure the bronze medal in the Men’s U18 Hockey Asia Cup 2026 at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan.
The Green Shirts controlled the contest from start to finish, keeping Malaysia under pressure across all four quarters and denying them any chance to get on the scoresheet.
Pakistan made an ideal start as Uzair Ahmad Qureshi opened the scoring at 02:54 in the first quarter. The momentum continued in the second quarter, where Asnan Muhammad and Haider Asam kept Pakistan on the front foot with sustained attacking pressure.
Malaysia tried to respond through Muhammad Ashrafeel Iman, but Pakistan’s defense remained disciplined and stopped every attempt to break through.
Pakistan tightened their grip in the third quarter, with Adeel scoring at 44:06 before adding another late goal at 58:04 to put the result beyond Malaysia’s reach.
Malaysia pushed forward through Yogeswaran Nagulan in the closing stages, but Pakistan’s backline stood firm. Akbar Hassan also made a crucial intervention at 59:09 to preserve Pakistan’s clean sheet.
The final scoreboard reflected Pakistan’s dominance, with quarter scores of Q1: 1, Q2: 1, Q3: 0, and Q4: 1, while Malaysia finished goalless in all four quarters.
Pakistan entered the bronze medal match after suffering a 5–3 defeat against India in the second semifinal at the same venue. India progressed to the final with that win and were scheduled to face Japan in the grand finale on Saturday.
In the semifinal, Pakistan had fought back from behind and briefly took a 3–2 lead through Uzair Ahmed’s penalty-corner goal in the 42nd minute, but India dominated the final period to seal the victory.
