Japan defeated Pakistan 4-1 in a penalty shootout to win the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024.
Both sides tied the score at two goals apiece at the end of regulation time, forcing a shootout to decide the winner.
Ryoma Ooka gave Japan the advantage in the shootout, and his teammates carried the momentum by earning the remaining three points.
Ammad Butt hit the ball on the third stroke, while Pakistan missed the first two.
After Pakistan scored two goals in the third quarter, Japan pulled off a comeback to tie the game at two. In the 47th minute, Kazumasa Matsumoto scored the second goal.
In the third quarter, Pakistan overcame a deficit with to goals from Abdul Rehman in the 37th minute and Ajaz Ahmed in the 34th.
At the 12-minute mark, Seren Tanaka gave Japan the ahead with their first goal.
Recall that Pakistan made it to the championship game for the first time in thirteen years.
Japan and Pakistan finished as the top two teams on the points table, having gone undefeated throughout the round-robin matches in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024. The round matches concluded on Friday.
Japan won four games and drew just one to maintain their lead at 13 points. Pakistan, with 11 points, maintained their second-place standing.
