India turn the tables on Pak
Muscat, Oct. 21: India made a stupendous comeback after being a goal down as they beat Pakistan 3- 1 in the fifth Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament to stretch their unbeaten streak against the archrivals to 11 games.
Captain Manpreet Singh ( 24th), forward Mandeep Singh ( 31st) and Dilpreet Singh ( 42nd) scored for the winners with Indian captain’s impressive performance earning him ‘ Man of the Match’ award on Saturday night.
India dominated the proceedings despite Muhammad Irfan Jr’s first minute strike that had put Pakistan ahead.
Ranked fifth in the world, India went into the match with a 10- match unbeaten streak against Pakistan but it was the World No. 13 side, who started well.
It was a quick start for the Pakistanis as they won a penalty corner in the first minute and managed to score through Irfan Jr, who was the quickest to react after Indian custodian P. R. Sreejesh had made a save off the PC execution.
The goal came as a setback for the Indian team but they did manage to regain control in the next few minutes, keeping possession and trying to make inroads in the Pakistani defence through darting runs down the flanks.
It was a moment of magic from skipper Manpreet, which saw India finally get the equaliser as the midfielder showcased individual brilliance to score in the 24th minute.
Manpreet won possession just inside Pakistan’s half, making a marauding run into the striking circle and weaved past three defenders in the process to finish the move all by himself as he stroked the ball into the far- post to revive India’s spirits.
In the third quarter, it was Mandeep’s turn to get his name on the score- sheet and give his team a 2- 1 lead. A turnover in the 31st minute saw Akashdeep Singh make a defence splitting run into the striking circle and pass the ball to fellow striker Mandeep, who had his back towards Pakistani goal but flicked the ball between his own legs as Pakistani goalkeeper Imran Butt had no chance.
In the third quarter India extended their lead Dilpreet scored his fourth of the tournament to put India 3- 1 ahead.