BHUBANESAR: Heavyweights Germany struggled for long periods, before edging Pakistan 1-0 in Group D of the World Cup yesterday.
The Netherlands, who hammerd Malaysia 7-0 in the other Group D match, top the standings followed by the Germans.
Germany’s winner was scored by Marco Miltkau in the 36th minute off a field attempt.
Pakistan team manager Hassan Sardar was disappointed not to have held the Germans, but praised his men for a solid defence.
"We gave away only one penalty corner and that is quite rare in modern hockey. This shows our defenders did their job and this augurs well for our next matches."
Pakistan next play Malaysia on Dec 5 followed by the Netherlands on Dec 9.