Defending champions Pakistan has defeated hosts Japan 3-1 in the final of the third Asian Champions Trophy Field Hockey Tournament and retained their title in the Japanese city of Kakamighara on Sunday.
Pakistan has remained unbeaten in the tournament defeating Oman, Malaysia, China and India in the group stage matches, with their previous match played against Japan during the group stages ending in a draw.
According to the Daily Times, although Japan took an aggressive start into the game by scoring a goal to take the lead in the first half, Pakistan came back strongly in the second half with three goals from . Haseem Khan, Rizwan Senior and Hammad Butt before the 66th minute.
The report mentioned that Pakistan, which led the group stage in the event with 15 points, was the highest-ranked team in the competition as world number eight, while India (11th) and Malaysia (13th) were also touted as the teams to beat before the tournament.
Meanwhile, Japan gathered 10 points to qualify for the final as they won three out of their five matches, the report added.
