S2H TEAM
Two blistering goals in as many as two minutes became unsurmountable challenge for the young Pakistan team which ultimately went down 1-3 in the opening day of the 7th Asian Champions Trophy here in Chennai. Firhan Ashari struck the brace before a solo run of Silverius Shello added the third goal. Pakistan mounted many attacks but the finish was lacking, even missing out a stroke.
This match was the highlight of the opening day for its intensity of contest and stunning result. Earlier in the first match of the day, despite conceding a goal in the sixth minute, Korea managed to shrug off it sluggish phase, and mounted impact making attacks to emerge victorious against Japan (2-1).
A festive atmosphere marked the opening the tournament. India, playing at 8.30 PM, played a free flow hockey to beat lowly placed China 7-2.
Mandeep Singh (40′) scored his 100th International goal; while Harmanpreet Singh (5′, 8′), Varun Kumar (19′, 30′), Sukhjeet Singh (15′), Akashdeep Singh (16′) score in India’s win.
Playing in front of a boisterous home crowd, India got off to a roaring start in the first quarter with assertive attack demolishing the Chinese defence. Having recently etched his name as one of highest goal scorers in FIH Pro League history, Harmanpreet Singh continued his fine form with a perfect flick to score back-to-back goals in the 5th and 8th minute, giving India an early 2-0 lead.
India continued to build on the momentum as the hosts created their third PC in the 15th minute. Though Harmanpreet’s flick was defended, India forward Sukhjeet Singh picked up the rebound to find the gap.
With the crowds backing them, India was quick to score goal no.4 with stylish forward Akashdeep Singh beating the Chinese defenders with his trademark tomahawk to the post. A minor error, however, by India defender Varun Kumar led to a counter by China who managed to pull off their first goal of the match through E Wenhui in the 18th minute. Varun, however, salvaged the error by scoring one for India in the following minute through a PC.
China, making a comeback in International hockey through this event were working hard to find their rhythm again. They did well to overcome early setback by patiently looking for a chance in the circle. Jiesheng Gao was on target to beat India’s PC defence and fetch his team an important 2nd goal.
India, however, ended the second quarter on a high with Varun scoring India’s 6th goal in the 30th minute.
Though China began the third quarter with better defence, restricting India’s movement in the 25m mark. They played with confidence, stemming from the two goals they scored in the second quarter. It took about 10 minutes into the third quarter, for India to find another opening in the striking circle.
This time, it was seasoned striker Mandeep Singh who picked up a good variation in PC execution to score India’s 7th goal in the 40th minute. Incidentally, it was also Mandeep’s milestone 100th international goal.
With a comfortable 7-2 lead, India went into the last quarter wanting to end with a bigger margin. Though they created a number of chances including the PC in the dying minutes of the match, China held their nerves to hold on to the scoreline. Their goalie Caiyu Wang did well to stop India’s PC attempt forcing India to be happy with a 7-2 win.
During post-match presentation, India Captain Harmanpreet Singh was presented with Hero Top Goal Scorer of FIH Hockey Pro League Season 4 was presented with a cheque of 3000 USD by FIH President Dato Tayyab Ikram.
DafaNews Young Player of the Match award was presented to Vivek Sagar Prasad.
Hero Player of the match was awarded to Manpreet Singh.
India Men’s Hockey Team Schedule:
3rd August, 2023: India vs China – 2030 hrs IST
4th August, 2023: India vs Japan – 2030 hrs IST
6th August, 2023: Malaysia vs India – 2030 hrs IST
7th August, 2023: Korea vs India – 2030 hrs IST
9th August, 2023: India vs Pakistan – 2030 hrs IST