LAHORE: Pakistan hockey team on Sunday received a hero’s welcome upon their return home after winning silver medal in the recently-concluded Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024, where they narrowly lost in the final to Japan on penalties, ARY News reported.
Japan were crowned the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 champions as they secured a nerve-testing 4-1 victory over Pakistan in the penalty shoot-out.
Pakistan and Japan, both unbeaten in the tournament, went hard at each other in the final and turned out to be inseparable by the end of the full time as their scores remained tied at 2-2.
Japan displayed a dominating performance in the penalty shoot-out by converting all four penalties while Pakistan could score one, which came in the third attempt when Ammad Butt successfully buried the ball in the nets.
For the unversed, this was Pakistan’s first appearance in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final after a long 13-year hiatus.
The national men’s hockey team gave brilliant performances throughout the tournament defeating hosts Malaysia, South Korea and Canada while settling for a stalemate against New Zealand in the group stage.
Upon arrival at Lahore, the chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan welcomed the Pakistan hockey team.
They were greeted by a huge crowd, who presented the silver medalists’ with garlands and bouquets at the airport. Some fans also held placards and banners congratulating the team for their performance.
Talking to journalists, Rana Mashhood said that Pakistan’s youth had reconnected with the national sport due to the performance of the hockey side.
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“We lost the match on penalty strokes otherwise these boys were unbeaten,” he said adding that the future of the sport had revived in the country.
“The government of Pakistan will support them in future events, and the premier has called them over to PM House. Their services and efforts will be appreciated and rewarded accordingly,” he said.
The chairman said PM Shehbaz Sharif had also announced Rs1 million award for each player.
