It took just five minutes for the tone of this Hockey World Cup 2026 clash to be set. Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring from a penalty corner, and by the time the final hooter sounded, India had won 5-3 in a match that eliminated Pakistan from the tournament entirely.
## How the goals came
Abhishek doubled India’s lead in the 11th minute with a well-taken field goal, before Harmanpreet struck again from another penalty corner to make it 3-0. Pakistan’s Hannan Shahid pulled one back from a goalkeeper rebound, but vice-captain Hardik Singh restored the three-goal cushion with a penalty stroke, his first World Cup goal.
Pakistan refused to fold. Shahid struck again early in the fourth quarter to make it 5-3, and India were forced to play the closing stages a man down after a yellow card to Aditya Lalage. A tense finish followed, but India’s defence held firm.
## What it means
– England topped Pool D with nine points; India finished second with six
– Pakistan and Wales are eliminated from the tournament
– It was the first World Cup meeting between the sides in 16 years
For the bigger picture on why this fixture carries so much weight beyond the scoreline, read our piece on [why the India-Pakistan hockey rivalry matters so much](india-vs-pakistan-hockey-rivalry-explained).
## Looking ahead
India now enters the crossover pools, where results against teams they’ve already faced carry forward, explained fully in our [new-format breakdown](hockey-world-cup-2026-new-format-explained). Harmanpreet and Abhishek’s four combined goals here will matter for momentum heading into that stage. Track every fixture from here in our [complete schedule and results](hockey-world-cup-2026-complete-schedule-results) hub, or see how this win affects India’s [medal chances](hockey-world-cup-2026-medal-predictions).