Amritsar: Drag flicker Sohail Abbas emerged as the highest goal-scorer in the world as Pakistan warded off a late resurgence by India to win the Friendship Hockey Series with a clinical 2-1 victory in the penultimate game in Amritsar today (Oct 8, 2004).

Going into the match with a 3-1 lead and needing a win to clinch the eight-match series, Pakistan romped home in style to take an unassailable 4-1 lead and render the last rubber in Hyderabad into an inconsequential outing.

India also needed a win in order to keep their hopes alive of levelling the series but were clearly outplayed by their arch-rivals in a match marred by frayed tempers.

Abbas fired the first salvo in the eighth minute to overtake Dutch legend Paul Litjens' record of 267 international goals and give his team a vital 1-0 lead at the break.

Rehan Butt then made it 2-0 in the 47th minute before the Indians fought back to reduce the margin through a penalty stroke by Arjun Halappa a minute later.

Indians made a brave attempt to rally and launched repeated attacks in the fag end of the proceedings, only to be thwarted by an alert Pakistani defence.

The hosts, spurred on by a sizeable crowd at the Guru Nanak Dev University ground, very nearly found the equaliser in the stoppage time but a goal-line save by a Pakistani defender ensured that the visitors latched on to the slender lead till the hooter.

Scores: Pakistan 2 (Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt) beat India 1 (Arjun Halappa).