India finishes on top of the pool
S. THYAGARAJAN
AFP GOOD GOING: India’s Rajpal Singh celebrates a goal with Vikram Pillay against Japan in the group ‘B’ match on Sunday.
India confirmed its berth in the semifinals, a spot it missed out at the last edition in Doha, with a 3-2 victory over Japan in Pool ‘B’ of the men’s hockey competition in the Asian Games on Sunday.
There was an unmistakable feeling of euphoria in the Indian camp after the victory over Pakistan on Saturday.
Never in recent years has India completed the pool matches without a reverse and gone to the top. A draw was enough but India picked up full points to aggregate 12 points.
India was not always on full throttle. There were spells when the players appeared phlegmatic, especially in the first half during which they conceded a goal.
Gradually, the team gained rhythm thanks to the proficiency displayed in the mid-field by Arjun Halappa. On the right Gurbaj Singh sent waves of panic among the Japanese defenders.
The hero again was Sandeep Singh, whose two goals from the penalty corners clearly swung the match in India’s favour. Sandeep is the top scorer with 11 goals so far.
Equaliser
The manner in which India obtained the equaliser late in the first half deserves description. Halappa fashioned the move from the right and Gurbaj Singh carried the attack right to the side line. A smashing cross flabbergasted the Japanese defenders even as Rajpal Singh swerved in to send the ball into the net.
Sandeep’s blinding penalty corner early in the second half hoisted the lead, which he enlarged again when nine minutes remained from the end. Quite a few openings went waste either on account of poor finish or from saves by goal-keeper. In the closing minutes, Japan, which persisted till in the final second, managed to reduce the margin to the narrowest point.
Quite predictably, Brasa was a bit disappointed with overall showing although he was happy that India finished on top of the pool. When asked whether he preferred China or Malaysia in the semifinal he said, “it does not matter, we will the play the winner of that match.”
Later, Malaysia came into the medal contention after eight years when it defeated China 4-2 in a fierce contest.
Rampant South Korea
Earlier, South Korea, the defending champion, demolished whatever opposition that Singapore could offer, scoring a dozen goals and conceding one.
In Pool ‘B’, Pakistan took the second spot after a comfortable 6-1 victory over Bangladesh. Pakistan will take on the holder, South Korea, in Tuesday’s semifinal.
Semifinal line-up: South Korea v Pakistan; India v Malaysia.
Points table:
Pool B: India Played 4, won 4, drawn 0, lost 0, goals scored 22, goals against 4, Points 12; Pakistan 4-3-0-1-28-6-9; Japan 4-2-0-2-13-13-6; Bangladesh 4-1-0-3-9-21-3; Hong Kong China 4-0-0-4-4-32-0.
Pool A: South Korea 4-3-1-0-25-4-10; Malaysia 4-3-1-0-21-6-10; China 4-2-0-2-12-7- 6; Oman 4-1-0-3-4-28-3; Singapore 4-0-0-4-4-19-0.
Monday’s matches: Women: Malaysia v Thailand (1 p.m.); Korea v Japan (3 p.m.); China v India (5 p.m.).