S2H Team
India weathered an early Argentine storm before fashioning a comfortable 3-0 victory in their second FIH Pro League match in Buenos Aires on Sunday. The win, after their thrilling shootout success on Saturday, yielded the visitors five points and took them to fourth place on the nine-nation table. The result kept Argentina, the Olympic champions, at sixth spot and left them with much soul searching to do after four matches (two against Germany) brought them just a single point from a 2-2 draw against India.
Belgium with 32 points from 13 matches lead the pack followed by Germany (19/8), Netherlands (18/11), India (15/8), Australia (14/8) and Argentina (11/12).
Man of the match Krishan Pathak
Harmanpreet, who else, put India ahead with a searing penalty corner drag-flick in the 11th minute and it was 2-0 in the 25th when Lalit Upadhyay finished off a splendid move that involved more than a dozen passes across the length and breadth of the pitch.
Argentina, a trifle deflated and suspiciously short of energy while playing their sixth match (including two practice games) in 10 days seemed bereft of ideas going into the third quarter which India dominated.
India then put the match to bed when Mandeep Singh pushed the ball to the boards past a sprawling goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi with two minutes left.
The Player of the Match, however, was young goalkeeper Krishan Pathak who may well have turned the tide in the first quarter with outstanding saves to twice deny Martin Ferreiro as Argentina looked like taking control in the first quarter. Another save by Pathak prevented Keenan from scoring after India shot ahead and the quarter ended with Martinez agonizing at failing to find the net after the ball rebounded off the cross piece.
Thereafter it was India in the ascendancy, playing with maturity to retain their two-goal cushion and often employing short, sharp passes to retain control of the game despite Argentina’s desperate attempts to get back into the contest.
Significantly, the two teams are in the same pool at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the weekend’s results may well give India the slight psychological edge when they clash in the Japanese capital later this year.
“I think we defended well”, said India goalkeeper Krishan Pathak, who was named Player of the Match. “They are good in defence but we created a lot of chances. We scored the goals, so that is good for us. We have to work on a lot of things, in defence but in midfield also. We have to learn from this match. Today we did a lot of good things, but we still have to work (to do).”
India travel to London to do battle with Great Britain in a double-header starting on May 8, assuming Covid doesn’t play spoilsport.
FIH Hockey Pro League – Men
Sunday 11 April 2021 – Buenos Aires (ARG)
Argentina 0, India 3 [Match 2 of 2]
Player of the Match: Krishan Pathak (GK – IND)
Umpires:German Montes de Oca (ARG), Irene Presenqui (ARG) and Carolina de la Fuente (ARG – video)