Indian men’s hockey team defeated Pakistan 2-1 in a tight encounter against arch-rival Pakistan in the much-anticipated encounter in the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 on Saturday.
Two goals from Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh meant that India overcame the early goal conceded in the first quarter.
Indian team started aggressively in the first quarter with a couple of circle entries but it was Pakistan that took the lead as Ahmad Nadeem poached a brilliant goal in the left side of the India goal.
Youngster Hannan Shahid ran through the Indian defence and found Nadeem placed perfectly to make it 1-0.
India fought back and scored an equalizer in the 13th minute as Captain Harmanpreet Singh made no mistake in converting their first penalty corner of the match.
India started the second quarter brightly and was 2-1 ahead in the 19th minute as Harmanpreet converted the second penalty corner of the match, putting Pakistan on the back foot.
India had a better share of possession in the following minutes, but couldn’t create much danger as they kept losing the ball frequently.
Pakistan, on the other hand, kept the low block on and man-marked the Indian forwards. They also created a half-chance but Nadeem’s pass missed Rooman at the goalmouth.
They also earned their first penalty corner at the stroke of half-time, but Sufiyan Khan’s drag-flick hit the bar, and India ended the first half with a slender 2-1 lead.
India controlled the ball at the start of the third quarter, with flank-to-flank passing to push Pakistan deep into their circle. However, India missed a penalty corner as Harmanpreet’s drag flick was blocked by the first rusher.
Pakistan earned a series of penalty corners but Indian goalkeeper Krishan Pathak stood tall to deny any chance to the Pakistani drag flickers.
Being the rivalry it is, tempers flared as both teams pushed each other from one end to the other, searching for an opening. Ashraf Waheed Rana received a 10-minute yellow card for a physical foul on Jugraj Singh in India’s circle.
With the extra man, India mounted pressure on Pakistan with relentless attacks but missed out on capitalizing as they kept losing possession in the final third.
Pakistan was the better team in the final quarter despite playing with ten men.
Despite earning consecutive penalty corners, the Indian team failed to convert it and then ran down the clock to continue the unbeaten run in the tournament.