India ultimately conquered the Australian mount to find its moorings in the increasingly exciting Uttar Pradesh Junior World Cup, and will now engage other semifinal stunner Belgium on Sunday’s final.
A second half surge saw India not only even out the first session arrears but also built a solitary goal lead with gem of an opportunistic strike of Mandeep Singh.
Australia struck thirteen minutes before the hooter through Lalchan Sharp. The match ended 2-2 at the regulation time.
In the ensued shoot out, lanky Vikas Dahiya came on his own to twice deny Australia whereas all the four Indian forwards showed perfect skill to see their attempt fruitful.
“Its rare any team is successful in all its four shoot out shots”, exclaimed manager Roelant Oltmans later.
A crowd exceeding 15 thousands were on the edge of the seat all through the seventy minutes the second semifinal between India and Australia, and in the end their energy and expectation did not go waste.
The Lucknowites on the stands and India on the small screen witnessed another of thrilling stuff dished out by Harjeet Singh’s boys.
Like yesterday in the quarters, India conceded first half goal, and wasted two penalty corners, but but the script went right in the second half.
India showed right temperament throughout the match, and with character, to emerge deserving victors in the shoot out.
When Tom Craig punctured the Indian citadel in the 14th minute, silencing loud stands the team did not panic, kept on doing perfect way.
It helped them stay strong and move ahead.
India missed first two penalty corners before conceding one in the 14th minute but made enough inroads.
Simranjit Singh, a sharp shooter that he is, just missed a sitter of a kind when he pushed inches off the right post.
It seemed for a while he struck but it was not.
With this miss, India changed sides.
On resumption, from the word go, India showed cohesion in upping the ante.
Set up by captain Harjeet Singh, picked up by Simranjit Singh, Gurjant got the feed near 25-yard and rushed in to the to whack a forehand that crashed into the net for the 1-1 score.
Shortly later, Australian defender was attempting to clear the ball with a scoop, but standing nearby Mandeep Singh intercepted, passed on to another forward who took it inside the D, where Mandeep took most important shot of the tournament to give India the lead (2-1).
The brace of goal within six minutes midway through the second session changed the complexion of the game, with both sides not giving away.
Unlike the first semifinal between Belgium and Germany, a boring affair,