Doha: Pakistan ensured a direct berth for the Beijing Olympics by clinching the bronze medal at the Asian Games men's hockey event with a 4-2 victory over Japan on Thursday.
Waqas Mohammad slammed two goals while Adnan Maqsood and Shakeel Abassi netted a goal each to seal the fate of the nippy Japanese in a fast-paced encounter at the Al-Rayyan stadium.
The top two finishers generally get an automatic qualification for the Olympic Games but Pakistan got a berth because China, who won the silver, get a place in the draw by virtue of being the host country.
The Japanese shot into the lead in the ninth minute of the contest when Takahiko Yamabori produced a superb field goal, but the Pakistanis neutralised the lead two minutes later through Adnan who converted a penalty corner.
The former champions then forged ahead with a field goal through Shakeel Abassi to go into the break with a 2-1 lead.
After the half-time, the Pakistanis attacked with renewed vigour and struck two goals in quick succession to increase the lead to 4-1 much to the delight of a handful of Pakistani supporters in the galleries.
Japan scored a consolation goal in the 57th minute when Yamabori pumped in another goal. They made a valiant effort to score a few more goals in the last few minutes but without much success.
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