ISLAMABAD: Pakistan staged an impressive second-half comeback to defeat South Korea 3-1 in the second match of the Pakistan-South Korea Test Series at the Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium here on Friday.
The first half remained evenly contested as both sides created opportunities but failed to open the scoring for most of the period. South Korea broke the deadlock in the 30th minute when Sun Din struck a field goal to give the visitors a 1-0 lead shortly before halftime.
Pakistan responded strongly after the interval, with Abdul Rehman bringing the hosts level in the 33rd minute through a well-taken field goal.
Captain Abu Bakar Mahmood then guided Pakistan to victory with two penalty-corner conversions. He scored in the 52nd minute to put Pakistan ahead 2-1 before adding another goal in the final minute to seal a convincing 3-1 win.
Abu Bakar Mahmood was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance and two decisive goals.
Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi attended the match as chief guest and appreciated the high standard of hockey displayed by both teams. At the post-match ceremony, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Mohiuddin Ahmad Wani presented a commemorative shield to the governor.
Speaking on the occasion, Faisal Karim Kundi welcomed the successful return of international hockey activities to Pakistan.
Director General Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Yawar Hussain was also present at the venue.
The match was supervised by Fahad Ali Khan and Asad Abbas, while Muhammad Sajid Raza served as reserve umpire. Haroon Rashid performed the duties of video umpire. Adnan Shahzad was the scoring judge, Mehboob Javed the timing judge, and Hamza Tufail served as the technical official.
Muhammad Shafiq was the technical delegate, Faiz Muhammad Faizi the umpire manager, Muhammad Waqas Sheikh the media coordinator, Abdul Nasir Akhunzada the PHF camp coordinator, and Najeeb Khattak the chief coordinator and operations official. Several other PHF officials were also in attendance.
