Pakistan comes clean against arch rivals India,3-2
Pakistan defeated India 3-2 in the rain marred pool match of the 8th Asia Cup. The winning goal was scored by Sohail Abbas off the 5th penalty corner in the 55th minute. India got two penalty corners and a couple of chances thereafter to equalize, but they miffed it all.
This is India’s first lost to Pakistan after 2006 Commonwealth Games, that was held in March.
SV Sunil in particular was so opportunitistic and aggressive, two of his efforts, though goal worth, did not move the scoreboard in the last five minutes.
For Pakistan, the young Haseem, who scored the golden goal in the Johar Bahru 4-Nation recently, scored a brace in the 32 and 36th minutes.
India took the lead off the first penalty corner, Prabhjot Singh deflecting the rebound ball waist high into the net. A minute before the half time, a defence slip led to youngster Haseem Khan equalizing.
The match was stopped due to heavy rain after India equalized through Rajpal Singh in the 46th minute.
In the first minute of resumption, off Rehan Butt’s feed, youngster Haseem tapped in a melee to give Pak the lead
A combined move from Gurbaj and Sardar Singh created a flutter inside the Pak circle, of which Rajpal Singh deflected a shot in the 45th minute. Even as India picked up the gautlet from thereon, rains stopped the flow.
The match that started on a furious pace came to a standstill at the fourth minute when Tariq Aziz’s shot home from top of Circle. However, umpire John Wright of South Africa disallowed it, holding the ball was hit from outside the circle.
“It happens, its a human error, we are not unduly disturbed by it”, said Shahid Ali Khan, the former goalkeeper turned coach.
It is interestingly observed all the four recalled stars did their best intoday’s Pakistan victory.
Pakistan’s first goal was a lucky one, as Sandeep Singh needlessly hung on to the ball inside the D and then slipped giving a golden chance to hawkish Haseem to effect a zero angle shot. It touched the right corner of the net.
“We needed a scorer, and we got in Haseem”, said Shahid Ali Khan in the post match conference.
Note: It was wrongly reported Rehan Butt scored the second goal, it was officially claried by the coach Shahid Ali Khan that the second goal was by Haseem.