Raghunath rescues India

Vice-captain India struck twice in helping India garnering full points on Day two of the Second Asian Champions Trophy at Doha in Qatar.

He converted two penalty corners a piece in each half, and then inbetween Gurwinder Chandi added one.

In fact Japan did not allow India much elbow room with good defense, a fact which even Michael Nobbs accepted later.

Its actually the Japanese who attacked meaningfully in the first quarter of the match, but they wasted both the penalty corners they got.

India too wasted one before Raghunath fructyfyine one.

It took 22 minutes for the Indians to break the logjam.

Vice-captain Raghunath struck from second penalty corner to put India on winning mode.
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When India defence cracked due to sustained onslaught of Japan, they got a stroke awareded by the Chines umpire.

Japan equalized 50th min outwitting Indian goalie PR Sreejesh.

However, India replied in the next minute due to alert shown by Gurwinder Singh Chandi. It put India again on top.

In the 55th minutes onwards, India earned three penalty corners in trot, but Rupinder Pal Singh could not pose any real danger to Japan goalkeeper Akira Morishima from the first two, but Raghu came up with one, alow flick, to give India the third goal, and his personal 4th in two matches.

Earlier, there were many moves and moments that had the trappings of a goal.

Sardar set up Nitin in a co-ordinated move with lanky Nitin Thimmaiah in the 8th minute, but Danish

Mujtafa failed to trap in front of open goal.

Japanese midfielder Ryohei Kawakami exhited goog ball sense and troubled their counterpart for long

spells, though he hardly got enough support from his mates.

Japan got two penalty corners in succession midway through the first half. Indian goalie PR Sreejesh

blocked the hihg flick of Toshiro TAchibana in the first but allowed the ball to rise. Japan wasted the

In the resultant penalty corner with a wayward indirect attempt.

Sunil sent a perfect cross to Nitin Thimmaiah twice, but the new comer miscued the both.

A combined move from Gurwinder Singh Chandi and Birendra Lakra got India its first penalty corner in the

22nd minute. Raghunath fumbled with the first, but made amends with the second in the same minute, giving

India its first goal.Raghunath placed his low flick to the right of sliding goalie Akira Morishima.