Pakistan scored twice in the final quarter before Wales fought back to secure a thrilling draw in Pool D.
Pakistan produced a spirited comeback to earn a 3-3 draw against Wales in their second Pool D match of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 at Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands, on Monday.
The Green Shirts made a confident start and took the lead in the third minute. Abdul Rehman found the target with a field goal to put Pakistan 1-0 ahead and give his team early momentum.
Wales gradually recovered and turned the match around during the second quarter. Gareth Furlong equalised in the 25th minute before Rhys Bradshaw scored just 31 seconds later to give Wales a 2-1 advantage.
Pakistan entered the final quarter needing a strong response and delivered exactly that. Sufyan Khan converted a penalty corner in the 49th minute to bring the scores level at 2-2.
The comeback continued shortly afterwards when Hannan Shahid produced a fine field goal in the 51st minute. His strike put Pakistan 3-2 ahead and appeared to complete a remarkable turnaround after the side had trailed at the start of the final quarter.
Wales refused to surrender, however, and Furlong struck again in the 53rd minute to score his second goal of the contest and restore parity at 3-3.
Both teams pushed forward in the closing stages in search of the decisive goal. Pakistan created several attacking opportunities but could not find a fourth goal, while Wales defended resolutely to secure a share of the points.
The result gave Pakistan its first point of the tournament after an opening defeat to England. Wales also registered its first point of the competition following the entertaining encounter.
Pakistan will now turn its attention to a crucial final Pool D clash against arch-rivals India on Wednesday. The match will be particularly important as Pakistan looks to strengthen its position in the tournament and keep its hopes alive.
The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 is being jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, with the competition bringing together the world’s leading hockey nations.