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The 5-3 score-line was not a result that gave India much satisfaction, other than securing them passage into the next round.
India beat Pakistan 5-3 in men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 Pool D match on August 19. (Picture Credit: X/@TheHockeyIndia)
The prodigal Indian style of hockey was on full view at Amstelveen’s Wagenar Stadium in the sub-continental encounter with Pakistan that Harmanpreet Singh’s team won by two goals, but only after squandering half a dozen scoring opportunities.
Slamming five goals, India saw their own citadel at the other end being breached thrice. The 5-3 scoreline was not a result that gave India much satisfaction, other than securing them passage into the next round. Yet, some credit ought to go to the young Pakistan squad.
Playing like millionaires with stacks to throw away, India had the run of play and plenty of openings to showcase their performance. They had the predominantly India-supporting capacity crowd rooting for them. The form and recent record all favoured them, as India had not lost a game to Pakistan in the past decade.
It was in this scenario that India got off to a sparkling start, racing to a three-goal lead before getting into the wasteful ways that cost them heavily. With only a fleeting memory of their last victory over India — in the 2016 South Asian Games at Guwahati — four-time World Cup finalists Pakistan had been pushed into a corner after being held to a 3-3 draw by lowly-ranked Wales.
While India needed just a draw to advance to the next round of the round-robin league along with Pool D toppers England, Pakistan were in a desperate must-win position.
What made matters worse for Pakistan’s defenders was the fact that India were surely not thinking of playing defensively for a draw. What India unveiled was an aggressive version of hockey that is rarely seen in contemporary times, but even this attacking form requires the strikers to slam goals.
Starting the match at the venue where the only previous India-Pakistan World Cup encounter took place — in the semi-finals of the elite event’s second edition in 1973 — was significant. Occasionally, India still celebrates the memory of B.P. Govinda’s dazzling goal that earned India a 1-0 victory and secured them a place in the title contest. For the record, India then finished with a silver medal after conceding a two-goal lead against hosts The Netherlands.
India started as the clear favourites, but the tension around an India-Pakistan contest still created tremendous excitement. The venue was throbbing with excitement hours before the sub-continental clash in the evening, with Indian fans vastly outnumbering Pakistan supporters. A lot of Dutch fans, too, were donning their orange uniforms and watched the game in huge numbers before their own team took the field.
India played a fine opening quarter, no questions about that, as they went up through goals from Harmanpreet Singh’s penalty corner conversion in the fifth minute and nippy striker Abhishek’s deft reverse flick through a crowd of Pakistani defenders in the 11th. The duo came back to celebrate a goal each later in the game, in the midst of India’s tale of missed chances.
Harmanpreet got into the goal-scoring act again in the 21st minute, this time during a goalmouth scrimmage after the initial penalty corner try by Rajinder Singh had been blocked by Pakistan goalkeeper Ali Raza. Receiving a ball that came his way from a rebound, Harmanpreet sent a scorching drive into the boards.
Then came the Pakistan rally that made everyone sit up. Pakistan striker Hannan Shahid scored the first of his two goals by taking full advantage of a rebound that came back to him in the 22nd minute.
Abhishek got hold of a through ball down the centre to fire his second goal in the 22nd minute, but Pakistan struck back within moments as Sufyan Khan’s penalty corner attempt brooked no denial.
Hardik rounded off the Indian scoring with a duly converted penalty stroke in the 35th minute, which was the follow-up to a deliberate obstruction inside the circle.
As errors crept into the Indian game, Pakistan benefitted from Hannan’s second goal in the 46th minute when he capped a solo attempt with a goal-bearing flick that stunned the Indian defence.
(The Writer is reporting from his 10th Senior Men’s Hockey World Cup)
August 20, 2026, 07:00 IST
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