The dreams of the Pakistan men's hockey team to participate in the Paris Olympics have been dashed once again, as they faced defeat against New Zealand in the third and fourth-place matches of the FIH Qualifiers in Muscat, Oman.
With this defeat, Pakistan's hopes of qualifying for the Olympics for the third consecutive time have been shattered. Despite being three-time Olympic gold medalists, the team failed to secure a spot in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 as well, and their last Olympic gold medal victory dates back to 1984.
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐙𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒! 🇳🇿 🤩
— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) January 21, 2024
New Zealand trail twice, but come back each time and defeat Pakistan in the bronze medal match at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Oman, to punch their ticket to the Olympic Games #Paris2024!… pic.twitter.com/NgUR5fdc26
In a closely contested match, Pakistan managed to score a goal through a penalty corner, with Abu Mahmood finding the net in the 18th minute. However, New Zealand's Scott Boyde levelled the score in the 24th minute. Despite briefly regaining the lead, Pakistan couldn't hold on, and Inglis Hugo scored a crucial goal for New Zealand in the 52nd minute. The Kiwis continued to exert pressure and sealed their qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics with a third goal in the 58th minute.
As a result, New Zealand has now joined Great Britain and Germany in securing a place in the upcoming Paris Olympics scheduled for July and August of this year. Pakistan, on the other hand, faces the disappointment of missing out on the Olympic stage once again.
