Hockey Champions Trophy 2018: India Thrash Pakistan 4–0 in the Opener
India, who have never won the Hockey Champions Trophy, will next face Argentina in their second match on Sunday.
India began their Hockey Champions Trophy 2018 camping in style with a 4-0 win over arch-rivals Pakistan in Breda, Netherlands. Ramandeep Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay were the goal-scorers for the Men in Blue who dominated the proceedings throughout. Pakistan completely lost their track in the final quarter when in the dying moments of the game, India netted three back to back goals to seal the contest.
The first quarter began with both the teams sharing the honours. India started with the majority of possession but Pakistan too dominated in patches. Though India earned a Penalty Corner in the opening quarter they failed to convert it. India vs Pakistan Hockey Match- As it Happened.
At the beginning of second quarter, India missed out on another opportunity to convert a Penalty Corner. However, five minutes before the end of second quarter India found their first goal through Ramandeep Singh. With it, India went into the half-time with a 1-0 lead.
The third quarter turned out to be goalless as well. Pakistan did try to net an equaliser but Indian defence consistently kept them at the bay. At the start of this quarter, Pakistan did manage to find the net but India referred one and got the decision overturned.
Going into the final quarter, India looked in complete control. 17-year-old Dilpreet Singh showed good temperament as he netted a pass from Simranjeet Singh into the goal to double India’s lead in the 54th minute.
With less than five minutes to go, Pakistan decided to remove their goalkeeper and went ahead with 11 field players. However, the decision backfired as India scored two more goals in the closing minutes. Mandeep and Lalit netted goals in 57th and 59th minute to seal the deal for the Men in Blue. India, who have never won the Hockey Champions Trophy, will next face Argentina in their second match on Sunday.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 23, 2018 07:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).