Pakistan end FIH Pro League campaign winless with heavy England defeat

LONDON (Agencies): Bottom-placed Pakistan suffered a heavy 7-0 loss against hosts England in their final FIH Pro League 2026 fixture at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, London, on Saturday. The home side got off to a flamboyant start to the fixture as Sam Ward opened the scoring for them in just the ninth minute by successfully converting a penalty corner, while Nicholas Bandurak doubled their lead in the dying minutes of the first quarter through a field goal. Pakistan’s defence offered notable resistance in the subsequent quarter, but England converted the second penalty corner awarded to them through Samuel Taylor and further bolstered their lead to 3-0 just before halftime. The penultimate quarter followed the same pattern as England struck late, courtesy of a penalty corner, converted by Samuel Hooper in the 38th minute. Heading into the final quarter with a 4-0 advantage, England launched an all-out attack on the bottom-placed Pakistan, inspired by Bandurak, who struck his second through a penalty corner in the 48th minute, while Zachary Wallace scored from the spot the following minute. Henry Croft then rounded up a comprehensive 7-0 victory for the home side by scoring a field goal in the 52nd minute. The resounding 7-0 victory, which was England’s eighth, consolidated their second position in the FIH Pro League standings with 34 points, four ahead of third-placed Australia. Meanwhile, the outcome of the recently concluded fixture meant Pakistan remained winless at the nine-team tournament as they lost all of their 16 matches — two each against the other eight participating sides — and finished at the bottom with a negative goal difference of 57.