Dhaka: India thrashed Malaysia 6-2 in a second-round clash to take a big step towards qualification for the final of the Asia Cup hockey championship here Thursday.
Akashdeep Singh (15th minute), Harmanpreet Singh (19th), SK Uthappa (24th), Gurjant Singh (33rd), SV Sunil (40th) and Sardar Singh (60th) scored the goals for a ruthless India.
India were already 5-0 up when Razie Rahim and Ramadan Rosli struck for Malaysia, who in their previous match had stunned Pakistan 3-2. With this win, India now have four points from two matches, while second-placed Malaysia have three points.
India’s first break-through came in the 14th minute when Manpreet assisted Akashdeep inside the circle with a fiercely-struck long pass. The Indian forward was impeccable in his attempt to improvise the pass to beat the Malaysian goalkeeper to take a 1-0 lead in the first quarter.
In the second quarter Harmanpreet Singh was at his best when he found the centre of the goal to take India’s lead to 2-0 in the 19th minute. A good assist by Sunil saw Uthappa score India’s third goal in the 24th minute. Post the 10-minute half-time break, India scored two more goals to stamp their supremacy over Malaysia. It was Gurjant in the 33rd minute followed by a splendid goal by Sunil brilliantly-assisted by Gurjant Singh who worked in tandem to score India’s fifth goal.
The final quarter saw India make a few defensive errors that saw them concede penalty corners. With 10 minutes to the final hooter, Malaysia’s Rahim utilised the chance to put one past a diving Akash Chikte in the 50th minute. Though their second goal came through in the 59th minute via Rosli, India extended their lead in the 60th minute when veteran Sardar employed a reverse-hand strike.
indo-asian news service
