Afraz strikes late as Pakistan secure draw against South Africa in CWG

BIRMINGHAM: The Pakistani men’s hockey team avoided an opening defeat at the 2022 Commonwealth Games when Afraz Hakeem’s late goal bolstered the team to hope for a draw against South Africa.

Pakistan striker Afraz scored the game-saving goal for the Greenshirts, helping the team to a point and avoiding an opening loss in their Commonwealth Games campaign.

Earlier, South Africa went ahead in the first quarter when Connor Beauchamp scored for the Proteas from the short corner.

South Africa’s lead, however, was short-lived, as Rizwan Ali scored the Greenshirts’ first goal after 11 minutes to keep the match balanced.

The two teams went into the break with the score 1-1. The two teams then battled heartily in the third quarter, but the score remained impassive as both goalkeepers did well to neutralize the threat.

The Proteas again led the proceedings when Matt Guise-Brown scored in the fourth quarter, only for Afraz to score a late goal and save the Greenshirts from an early loss.

The national hockey team will now face New Zealand on July 31 in their second match of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

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