Pakistan open Asian Games hockey with a 9-0 win, Ahmed Nadeem hat-trick

Pakistan beat Thailand 9-0 in their opening Pool B match of the 20th Asian Games hockey tournament in Japan on Sunday, with Ahmed Nadeem scoring a hat-trick.

The goals: Moeen Shakeel in the 8th minute, Ammad Butt in the 12th, Ahmed Nadeem in the 20th, Sufyan Khan from penalty corners in the 22nd and 23rd, Rana Waheed Ashraf in the 31st, Hanan Shahid in the 34th, and Nadeem again in the 37th and 43rd.

How it went

Pakistan led 2-0 after the first quarter and 5-0 at half time. Thailand, ranked far below Pakistan, did not manage a shot of note. Sufyan Khan's two penalty corner conversions inside 90 seconds took the game out of reach before the interval, and Nadeem's second and third in the third quarter closed it out.

Pakistan Hockey Federation president Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani congratulated the team and management on the result and said he expected them to keep the run going.

Why this one matters

Pakistan have won the Asian Games hockey gold eight times, more than any other country, but the last was Guangzhou in 2010. They finished fifth in Jakarta in 2018 and did not reach the final in Hangzhou in 2023. The Asian Games title also carries a direct qualification route to the Olympics, which Pakistan have missed for four straight Games.

A 9-0 opening result against Thailand does not settle much on its own. India, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia are the teams that decide the medals, and Pakistan will have to beat at least two of them.

The wider Pakistan campaign

Pakistan sent 246 athletes to Japan across 23 sports. Arshad Nadeem is the marquee name in athletics. In cricket, the women's team lost their semi-final to Sri Lanka on Sunday morning and play Bangladesh for bronze at 5am Pakistan time on Tuesday.

Next

Pakistan's remaining Pool B fixtures have not been confirmed by the organisers in a public schedule at the time of writing. We will add them here as soon as the pool order is published.