Pakistan into semis of Champions Challenge Hockey

SALTA: Pakistan booked berth into semifinals of Champions Challenge Hockey Tournament after beating South Africa by 4-1.

Pakistan will take on archrival India in the semifinal on Saturday. Experienced fullback Sohail Abbas converted a penalty-corner to give Pakistan the lead in the 20th minute but South Africa’s Norris Jones restored parity in the 33d minute, ending the first half with a 1-1 score line.

However, the second half saw Pakistan’s frontline attacking well with Shakeel Abbasi (49th minute), Haseem Khan (53rd minute) and Akhtar Ali (63rd minute) scoring goals to seal the fate of the match.