BHUBANESWAR, India: Ruthless England destroyed Pakistan 8-2 in the Champions Trophy field hockey tournament in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
England, who finished a credible fourth at the World Cup in the Netherlands in June, pumped in four goals in the second quarter to take a 5-0 lead over hapless Pakistan by half-time in the pool A match of the eight-nation tournament at the Kalinga stadium.
Earlier, England recorded a 3-1 win over world holders Australia in their opening game of the tournament.
Two more goals on either side of the third and fourth quarters increased the tally to 7-0 before Muhammad Qadir put Pakistan on the board three minutes from the end.
Chris Griffith made it 8-1 before Muhammad Irfan netted a last-minute penalty corner to score Pakistan´s second goal.
English veteran Ashley Jackson said his team were already looking ahead at the rest of the tournament after recording their biggest Champions Trophy win over Pakistan.
“Hopefully, we can be part of something very special if we keep improving like this,” Jackson said. “We want to go from here with some good medals.”
Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh said the better fitness and speed of European teams were the main causes of his team´s two back-to-back defeats.
“We Asians just can´t match the power of the Europeans,” the former international said. “This tournament will be a good learning experience for my boys.”
Pakistan, who did not qualify for the World Cup, also failed to earn a direct entry to the 2016 Olympics after losing to India in the Asian Games final in October.