KUALA LUMPUR – Can the Red Sticks maintain their fine scoring form against the resilient Flying Green Horses as both sides meet again after 30 years?
In the last meeting 30 years ago in Terrassa, Spain, Pakistan outplayed the Spanish team to win 5-0.
However, this time, it could be different with Spain not showing any mercy to their opponents since the start of the men’s Hockey Junior World Cup, scoring a total of 19 goals in the tournament so far.
The team with the highest number of experienced players, four, playing in the senior team will not find it easy to secure their inaugural Junior World Cup title.
They will be going against a young Pakistan side that secured their spot in today’s quarter-finals, finishing second in Group D, regarded as the Group of Death.
However, head coach Oriol Puig Torras said he does not see Pakistan as a threat and believes that his team’s silky gameplay will cause them problems.
“With our current fine form, I don’t think any team can come closer to us. We are not overconfident, but our statistics in this tournament speak for themselves.
“My players have shown great gameplay with fast movement in field hockey, winning penalty corners, and scoring from various positions on the turf, which I don’t see in other teams.
“Pakistan is going to be a tough game, but it’s not a match that we can’t overcome. We have the experience of playing against India in our group match, and the whole world knows how we kept them silent throughout the match.
“Both India and Pakistan share a similar approach to their gameplay, but I’m very confident in my boys, who also have the experience of playing in the senior team and can take down their fine run with ease,” said Torras.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, who have been pulling the strings in the tournament, will be relying on Arbaz Ahamad, a burly defender and penalty corner specialist, to help them triumph against the Spanish side.
Head coach Roelant Oltmans said Arbaz has the potential to become the next Sohail Abbas, known as the “King of Drag Flicks” and regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
Abbas is Pakistan’s all-time top scorer with 348 goals from 1998 to 2012.
“Arbaz is one of the best players that I have developed since I took charge of my job in Pakistan, and he has shown a great impact on the team as a whole through his gameplay.
“Our opponents are going to have a tough time against us, as we have a team of players who play with so much love and passion for the team and country.
“We made sure that the other European teams couldn’t break through our defensive wall in the past; we aim to continue this tactic, as I see that European teams tend to struggle against us when we use this strategy.
“We will keep our fort strong in our crucial match in the quarters and ensure that we keep terrorising our opponents with our physical gameplay for the rest of this tournament,” said Roelant.
The 20-year-old Arbaz comes from Gojra city, which has produced many Olympians.
So far, he has scored two World Cup goals from penalty corners, in the draws against the Netherlands (3-3) and Belgium (1-1).
Arbaz also has a record of 11 goals from six matches in this year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Pakistan have played Spain three times in the Junior World Cup, winning twice and drawing once. – December 12, 2023