Muscat: The India men’s hockey team are on a rampage as they thrashed Asian Games champion Japan 9-0 to record their third win in as many matches in the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy here, Sunday night. India defeated hosts Oman 11-0 in their opening game before prevailing over arch rivals Pakistan 3-1, a day back.
The results reaffirmed India’s supremacy in Asia and showed that their below-par performance in the Asian Games was just an aberration. With this win India lead the six-team standings with maximum nine points.
Mandeep Singh (fourth, 49th, 57th) scored a hat-trick taking his tournament tally to five goals while drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh (17th, 21st) also netted twice. Lalit Upadhyay (45th), Gurjant Singh (eighth), Akashdeep Singh (36th) and Sumit (42nd) also scored a goal each to lead the goal-fest.
Indians started the match with a good rhythm as Lalit and Akashdeep started making inroads into the opposition area early on. But it was Mandeep Singh who opened the floodgates deflecting Akashdeep’s vicious low cross from the left flank into the back of the net.
The men in blue doubled the lead with Gurjant converting from a penalty corner to finish the first quarter with a healthy two-goal lead. The Indians continued their dominance in the second quarter too as they struck in two more goals both from Harmanpreet.
After Varun Kumar and skipper Manpreet Singh’s shot was saved by the Japanese defenders on two occasions the ball fell in front of Harmanpreet who kept his composure to stroke the ball crisply towards the right of rival goalie Yusuke Takano to give India a three-goal advantage two minutes into the second quarter.
Harmanpreet was in thick of action again four minutes later defeating a fleet of Japanese defenders to score his second and team’s fourth. Trailing by four goals it was virtually all over for the Japanese team as they conceded another five goals in the last two quarters.
India were down to 10 men after Dilpreet Singh received a second yellow for pushing a Japanese player but that didn’t had any effect as the rampaging Indian team as they three more goals through in the third quarter. The last quarter saw Mandeep completing his hat-trick to complete the rout.
Pleased with the performances from his boys, india coach Harendra Singh said, “The way we played was good. We played to a plan and did not allow Japan’s team to play in a certain manner.”
Praising the Indian players, rival coach Siegfried Aikman said, “We tried our level best, but they were very strong. We were below the level as India sparkled with their speed, agility and hard-press game.”
Surender feat
Muscat: India men’s hockey team defender achieved a milestone Sunday when he completed his 100th international cap against Japan in the Asian Champions Trophy here. The 24-year-old made his debut in 2013 and has been performing consistently since then. “I am very proud to have been able to represent the nation through the years, and it gives me immense joy and satisfaction to be getting the chance to play in my 100th game for India. I thank all who have been involved in my development for being by my side throughout the journey,” Surender said.
