Hockey: Pakistan out of Paris Olympics race after losing to New Zealand

Paris Olympics will remain out of bounds for the Pakistan Men’s hockey team as the men in green shirts Sunday faced  defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the third and fourth places match of FIH Qualifiers in Muscat, Oman, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel.

New Zealand have now joined Great Britain and Germany in qualifying for Paris 2024, set to take place in July and August of this year.

This is the third consecutive occasion on which Pakistan have failed to qualify for the Olympics. Three-time Olympic gold medallists were unable to secure their spot in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 too. The last gold medal victory dates back to 1984.

 In a tightly contested match, Pakistan scored a goal via a penalty corner, with Abu Mahmood finding the net in the 18th minute.

Scott Boyde helped New Zealand level the score in the 24th minute, but shortly after the goal, the Men in Green regained the lead.

Pakistan maintained their lead in the game until the 52nd minute when Inglis Hugo scored a goal for New Zealand.

The Kiwis sustained pressure and secured their qualification in the Olympics by scoring a third goal in the 58th minute.