KUALA LUMPUR – Pakistan hockey head coach Roelant Oltmans is happy with his team for maintaining strong momentum in their ongoing Nations Cup campaign in Gniezno, Poland following their impressive run at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Under the guidance of the experienced Dutchman, Pakistan finished as runners-up in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup after their final-day defeat to Japan.
The world number 16 side, fondly known as the Green Horses by hockey fans across the globe, have been in scintillating form at the Nations Cup, qualifying for the semi-finals after finishing second in Pool B with four points.
Pakistan will take on Paris Olympics-bound New Zealand today to secure their spot in the final.
Speaking to Scoop from Gniezno, Oltmans expressed satisfaction with his team’s impressive scoring record in the tournament.
However, the 70-year-old coach also voiced disappointment regarding the high number of goals conceded by his side.
For the record, Pakistan have scored a total of 17 goals in their opening three Pool B matches (against Malaysia, Canada and France) and conceded a total of 11 goals.
Rana Waheed Ashraf leads the scoring for Pakistan in the Nations Cup with five goals.
“We will take every game one step at a time, and this tournament is no different for us. The intensity of the Nations Cup tournament is fantastic, and this is something that my boys need the most.
“The only thing that disappoints me so far in the tournament is that we have conceded a huge number of (11) goals. But on a positive note, we scored 17 goals and qualified for the next round by competing with some of the best teams in the world, showing that we are capable of taking on any team with our attack.
“We have two very strong games coming up, and we need to work on our defence. I prefer not to discuss the final outcome of the team in this tournament as I just want my boys to focus on our next game against New Zealand,” said Oltmans when contacted.
At the same time, Oltmans emphasised the importance of not underestimating their world number 10 opponents and highlighted that a Pakistan victory would rely on their aggressive and defensive gameplay.
“New Zealand is a team that will be playing in the Olympics, and we should not underestimate them. The other two teams playing in the semi-finals (France and South Africa) are also participating in this year’s Olympics. We are proud of our team for reaching the semis in this tournament despite not qualifying for Paris this year.
“We can only qualify for the final of this tournament if we put on a defensive masterclass against New Zealand, and that’s going to be our team’s game plan for now.”
“By winning the tournament, I’m aware that we will get to play in the FIH Pro League, but I’m not looking forward to playing in that tournament as my primary focus for now is to defeat New Zealand and qualify for the final,” Oltmans added.
Pakistan and New Zealand have clashed 30 times since the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, with Pakistan having a higher winning percentage of 56.67%.
The South Asian team have made 16 appearances at the Olympics since their first participation in the 1948 edition in London.
Aside from missing this year’s Paris Olympics, Pakistan, with eight Olympic medals in their collection (three golds, three silvers and two bronzes), also failed to qualify for Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020. – June 8, 2024