Asian Games Hockey: Pakistan rout Thailand 9-0 as Nadeem hits hat-trick

Pakistan opened their Pool B campaign with a dominant 9-0 victory over Thailand at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Sunday, scoring in every quarter. The team led 2-0 after the first quarter, took a 5-0 advantage into halftime after adding three second-quarter goals, and added two more in each of the final two quarters. Ahmad Nadeem was the leading scorer with three field goals in the 20th, 37th and 43rd minutes. Sufyan Khan scored twice from penalty corners, while Moin Shakeel, Ammad Butt, Waheed Rana and Abdul Shahid scored one goal each. Shakeel opened the scoring in the eighth minute. Butt doubled the lead in the 12th. Nadeem made it 3-0 in the 20th, and Khan converted two penalty corners in the 22nd and 23rd minutes. Rana struck in the 31st, Shahid added another in the 34th, Nadeem completed his hat-trick in the 43rd, and the ninth goal followed later. According to match statistics, Pakistan had 57 percent possession and earned seven penalty corners to Thailand's two. Thailand failed to score across the 60 minutes. Nadeem converted three of four attempts, Shakeel and Butt were clinical with one goal from one attempt each, and Khan scored twice from six attempts. The victory gives Pakistan a strong start but the true test comes next. Pakistan face Uzbekistan on September 22, while Thailand meet China later the same day. The emphatic scoreline also builds valuable goal difference in pool standings. The team now needs to maintain this rhythm against stronger opponents, where defensive discipline and set-piece conversion will matter more than in this one-sided contest.