China secured their place in the final of the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy on Monday after a gripping penalty shootout win against Pakistan at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia.
The semi-final was a tightly contested match, marked by both teams’ high skill and resilience. Despite a strong effort, Pakistan could not overcome the penalty shootout, missing four consecutive penalties, and lost to China 2-0.
Throughout regular time, the match was intensely competitive, with each team scoring once. China took the lead in the second quarter, while Pakistan equalized in the third quarter through Ahmed Nadeem, pushing the game into a critical penalty shootout.
Depending on the outcome of the second semi-final, China will now face either South Korea or India.
Pakistan, meanwhile, will compete in the third-place match. Notably, Pakistan was narrowly defeated by India 1-2 in their last round-robin match on Saturday.