Japan Wins U-18 Asia Cup Over Pakistan

Kuala Lumpur – Japan claimed the Men’s Under-18 Asia Cup hockey title with a 3-0 win against Pakistan in the final at the National Hockey Training Centre on Sunday.

Pakistan started the match strongly but couldn’t score. Japan took the lead in the second quarter with a goal by Yuma Fujiwara. They held a 1-0 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Pakistan missed two penalty corner chances. Soon after, Ryutaro Ueda scored Japan’s second goal. Despite more efforts, Pakistan failed to find the net.

Tatsuaki Yasui scored Japan’s third goal from a penalty corner in the final quarter, sealing the win.

Pakistan had played well earlier in the tournament, with strong wins over Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, and close victories against China and Malaysia. But they couldn’t match Japan’s sharp performance in the final.