India hockey juniors pump in 22 goals against hapless USA
GOAL FEST Ten players score as Asian giants move to top of their pool in Sultan of Johor Cup
NEWDELHI: The India junior men’s hockey team thumped USA 22-0 to win its third match of the Sultan of Johor Cup, in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Wednesday.
The massive win brought back memories of India’s record 24-1 victory over USA in the 1932 Olympics at Los Angeles. It has been a good week for Indian hockey with the seniors regaining the Asia Cup title after a gap of 10 years. They twice beat Pakistan and then downed Malaysia in the final to lift the title in Dhaka.
The junior men also rejoiced over the win as they scored through 10 different players. It took India to the top of the table, with nine points from three matches.
HARMANJIT SCORES 5
Harmanjit Singh (5), Abhishek (4), Vishal Antil (3), Dilpreet Singh (3), Maninder Singh (2), Pratap Lakra (1), Rabichandra Moirangthem (1), Raushan Kumar (1), Shilanand Lakra (1) and Vivek Prasad (1) were the scorers.
The scoring spree began in the second minute when two goals were scored. India fully exploited the inexperience of USA to dominate the proceedings throughout, after scoring four goals in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, India scored four more goals with the coach giving game time to all 18 squad members. India led 8-0 at half-time.
India turned on the heat in the third quarter, scoring nine goals in 15 minutes. India didn’t show any signs of holding back and scored five more goals in the final quarter.
USA had conceded a total of 30 goals in their first two games -Australia beat them 19-0 and Great Britain 11-0.
India will take the massive win as preparation for their tough upcoming matches against Australia and Great Britain.