New Delhi: India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 5-3 in a thrilling contest at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands, on Wednesday, sealing their place in the second round of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026.
Skipper Harmanpreet Singh struck twice for India, finding the net in the 5th and 21st minutes. Forward Abhishek also scored a brace, converting chances in the 11th and 24th minutes. Hardik Singh added the fifth goal in the 35th minute, converting a penalty stroke.
For Pakistan, Hannan Shahid scored twice, in the 22nd and 46th minutes, while Sufyan Khan found the target in the 25th minute, according to olympics.com.
With the win, India progressed to Pool E of the second round, joining England and the top two finishers from Pool A – the Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand and Japan. India and Pakistan had both competed in Pool D during the opening phase. The top two sides from Pool E will move on to the semi-finals of the tournament.
England had already secured a top-two finish in their pool and rounded off the group stage with a dominant 8-2 win over Wales earlier in the day, finishing with a perfect record.
India took an early lead, with Harmanpreet converting a penalty corner in the 5th minute after Pakistan gave away back-to-back set-pieces. Abhishek doubled India’s lead soon after, in the 11th minute, when a cross took a deflection off a Pakistani defender’s stick.
Harmanpreet extended India’s advantage to 3-0 in the 21st minute, pouncing on a rebound after Rajinder Singh’s initial penalty-corner effort was saved. Pakistan responded almost immediately through Hannan Shahid, who capitalised on a rebound in the 22nd minute after Indian goalkeeper Suraj Karkera had made consecutive saves.
Abhishek restored India’s three-goal cushion in the 24th minute, with his attempted pass deflecting into the net. Sufyan Khan pulled one back for Pakistan via a penalty corner in the 25th minute, leaving the score 4-2 at half-time.
Hardik Singh made it 5-2 early in the third quarter, scoring from a penalty stroke after Aditya Arjun Lalage was fouled inside the circle. Hannan Shahid struck moments into the final quarter again to narrow the gap to two goals, but India held their nerve to close out the win.
The match marked India and Pakistan’s first World Cup meeting since 2010, when India had won 4-1 in New Delhi. The Wagener Hockey Stadium also carries historical significance for the two sides – India beat Pakistan 1-0 there in the 1973 World Cup semi-final, with BP Govinda scoring the winner.
