Junior Asia Cup 2026: Pakistan Defeats Malaysia to Win Bronze Medal

Pakistan overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat Malaysia 4-2 in the bronze-medal match of the 2026 Men’s Junior Asia Cup at the Moqi Training Base in Hulunbuir on Sunday.

The victory gave Pakistan a podium finish after an otherwise unbeaten group-stage campaign was followed by a 4-1 semi-final defeat against Korea. It also marked their second victory over Malaysia in the tournament.

Pakistan entered the knockout stage after topping Group B with 12 points from four matches. They opened with a 15-0 win over Kazakhstan, beat China 4-2, defeated Malaysia 5-2 and completed the group phase with a 3-0 victory over Bangladesh.

Malaysia took control of the bronze-medal contest early, with Adam Ashraf Johari putting them ahead through a field goal in the 11th minute. Shafiq Ammar Fahmi Suzaini extended the lead two minutes later by converting a penalty corner.

Pakistan’s response came after the interval, led by Rana Abdul Sami. He scored field goals in the 34th and 47th minutes to bring the teams level at 2-2 and put Pakistan back in contention for third place.

Muhammad Shaheer then completed the turnaround in the 51st minute, converting a penalty corner to give Pakistan a 3-2 lead. Waleed Rana added another five minutes later from a penalty stroke to secure the 4-2 victory.

The result meant Pakistan won bronze medal after missing out on a place in the final against Korea. Their semi-final defeat was their only loss of the tournament.

For Malaysia, the result meant another fourth-place finish at the Junior Asia Cup. The Young Tigers had also finished fourth in the 2023 and 2024 editions.

Pakistan’s Junior Asia Cup campaign also secured their qualification for the 2027 Junior World Cup in India, alongside Malaysia, India and South Korea. The tournament will therefore end with Pakistan taking bronze after recovering from their semi-final setback.

Also read: Pakistan defeats Bangladesh