Pakistan registered a brilliant come-from-behind win against South Korea to seal the bronze medal at the Asian Champions Trophy 2024. Despite trailing against the Koreans 0-1, the Green Shirts came back roaring to win the match 5-2 and take the third prize home.
Pakistan had earlier stunned by the hosts China in the first semifinal on penalties but put aside the disappointment of not playing for the title with a brilliant win in the third-place playoff. Korean skipper Lee Jungjun opened the scoresheet with a strike early in the second quarter. Pakistan had their chances in the quarter with a few penalty corners but they could not score. The deadlock for the Green Shirts broke into the third quarter when Sufyan Khan converted a penalty corner into a goal to bring it 1-1.
Hannan Shahid got the former champions into the lead in the very next minute but the Koreans equalised soon. The top goal-scorer of the tournament Yang Ji-hun brought South Korea back on level in the same quarter to leave the match open. In the last moments of the third quarter, Rooman brought Pakistan into the lead again 3-2 after a cross from Ahmad Nadeem.
The Koreans trailed for the first time and needed some inspiration to get the better of the Green Shirts in the final quarter. But Pakistan upped their game in the final quarter, scoring two more goals to kill the match. Sufyan Khan converted the penalty corner to take Pakistan 4-2 over the Koreans before Hannan Shahid got the fifth goal for his team.
Pakistan had lost to hosts China in the semifinals on penalties. The Green Shirts played a 1-1 draw in the regulation 60 minutes but when the shootout rolled in, they could not score any goal, while the Chinese nailed two to win the match and book their place in the final against India.
In the final, India defeated China to clinch the title for the fifth time. The Men In Blue earned a 1-0 hard-fought win over the hosts with Jugraj scoring the only goal in the match. Captain Harmanpreet Singh and Jugraj combined to nail the goal and help India win the title again.
