Pakistan

Tahir Zaman, Pakistan Under-21 hockey team head coach, said Monday though his side beat Japan 4-2 in the opening match but it failed to put up a good performance in the first half.

“It is good to start a tournament on a victorious note but our first half performance was not at par and we failed to coordinate due to match pressure of first encounter,” he said after match of the 4-nation tournament.

He said the Japanese side offered strong resistance and could not avail much of the scoring chances. “Team needs to be organised more on professional lines and it must show notable improvement when it plays in the coming matches, especially against India next match,” he added.

“Do not forget that the Indian team is a well-organised side. We have failed to so far beat them in the international tournaments. Our all players should focus on the job. I think our chances against India are 50-50,” he maintained. Tahir said the team was going through a rebuilding process and it needed time to develop rhythm.

“This tournament is a part of our efforts to build the side for the Junior World Cup. We are optimistic to accomplish this target by appearing in a number of events before the mega event,” he said. Team captain Shakeel Abbasi admitted the team did not play up to the required level and promised they would show improved performance in the next match against India. “Playing against India is always a tough task and we are ready to take on this challenge bravely,” he said. Japanese team coach Numada Hideki termed the Pakistan team an attacking side and said it played a better game against them. “They were good in attacks and penalty corners. We got less opportunities for scoring,” he said. app

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