Kuala Lumpur, June 21, 2025: New Zealand delivered a dominant performance to crush Pakistan 6-2 in the final of the FIH Nations Cup, held at the National Hockey Stadium on Sunday. Scott Coslett led the charge with a brilliant brace, securing New Zealand’s qualification for the prestigious FIH Pro League.
The Black Sticks came out firing in the summit clash, finding the back of the net twice in the opening minutes—only for both goals to be disallowed. However, their persistence paid off in the 6th minute when Coslett successfully converted a penalty corner to open the scoring.
New Zealand doubled their lead in the dying seconds of the first quarter through a sharp field goal by Sam Hiha. The second quarter saw the Kiwis intensify their assault, with Dylan Thomas scoring just two minutes in, followed by a sensational strike from Sean Findlay a minute later.
Scott Boyde then made it 5-0 with under four minutes left in the first half, effectively putting the game beyond Pakistan’s reach before the break.
Pakistan showed some fight in the third quarter when Zikriya Hayat broke through to score a powerful field goal, reducing the deficit to 5-1. The green shirts earned five penalty corners in the quarter but failed to convert any, missing a critical opportunity to close the gap.
In the final quarter, both sides upped the tempo. New Zealand capitalized on another penalty corner, with Coslett scoring his second goal of the match. Pakistan responded almost immediately as Sufyan Khan converted a penalty corner, but it proved too little, too late.
The emphatic 6-2 victory crowned New Zealand as FIH Nations Cup champions and secured their promotion to the FIH Pro League.
