Pakistan eye final after thrashing Canada 5-4 in Azlan Shah Cup

IPOH: Pakistan continued their dominant run as they defeated Canada 5-4 after a thrilling match, inching closer to the finals of the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 in Malaysia on Wednesday.

Pakistan was initially struggling as Canada scored two early goals in 17 minutes to take a dominant lead, however, Abu Bakr Mahmood brought Pakistan back into the game with a brace.

Green Shirts made a brilliant comeback in the third quarter, scoring three consecutive goals. Apart from Abu Bakr’s two goals, Rana Waheed, Liaquat Arshad, and Ali Ghazanfar notched up one goal each.

The undefeated Pakistan side is sitting at the top of the points table with 10 points after four games in the tournament.

Read More: Last-minute goal guides Pakistan’s victory over Malaysia in Azlan Shah Cup

Notably, Pakistan, as well as Japan, will confirm their place in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 final if the latter beat Malaysia later today.

It should be noted that in the first match of the tournament, Pakistan defeated the host Malaysia by a score of 4-5, while in the second match, they defeated South Korea by 0-4.

Pakistan squad for Azlan Shah Cup

Goalkeepers: Abdullah, Muneebur Rehman.

Defenders: Usama Bashir, Ehtisham Aslam, Mohammad Abdullah, Sufiyan, Abu Bakar (vice-captain), Ammad Butt (captain).

Midfielders: Salman Razzaq, Arshad Liaquat, Moin Shakeel, Zakria Hayat, Murtaza Yaqoob, Ghazanfar Ali.

Forwards: Abdul Rehman (Sr), Abdul Hanan, Rana Waheed, Ejaz Ahmad.

Standbys: Akmal Hussain, Aqeel Ahmad, Arbaz, Hammad Anjum, Abdul Rehman (Jr), Abdul Manan, Rooman.