Muscat, Oct 21 - A dazzling run by man of the match Manpreet Singh dribbling past several Pakistan players to net the equaliser sparked the Indian resurgence as they comfortably beat Pakistan 3-1 in a key clash of the Champions Trophy in Muscat late on Saturday.
It was Pakistan who stunned their rivals with a first-minute strike when Mohammed Irfan Jr scored immediately after the start.
Irfan Jr picked up a penalty corner rebound from Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh’s pads and scored with a deft flick into the goal’s left corner.
The goal forced India to make frequent attacks earning couple of penalty corners in the first quarter before finding their grip in the match. However, Pakistan defended well to keep their 1-0 lead in the quarter.
In the second quarter, India continued their push for an equaliser and skipper Manpreet’s goal came in the 24th minute much to the relief of the big Indian crowd present at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.
The goal showed the talent of the player and the entire gallery appreciated the brilliant comeback by India.
Manpreet went past three Pakistan defenders in his solo run to put the ball into the right corner of Pakistan net, past goalkeeper Imran Butt.
“We should not have conceded a goal in the first minute. We need to work on that. But then on we scored from our chances to get the win,” Manpreet said at the presentation ceremony.
Indian chief coach Harendra Singh said he is proud of the way the team staged a comeback.
“I am proud of the manner in which the Indian team staged a comeback. They deserve full credit, but I remain concerned with our finishing,” Harendra told Asian Hockey Federation website.
“We missed a few chances. We are taking too much time to make decisions. That’s where we need to sharpen up,” he said.
“Any team can score early, but what mattered is how our team came back from the early reversal,” said Harendra.
Pakistan team’s manager Hasan Sardar said it was a mistake to fall too back in their own half and allow free space to the Indians.
“We fell back too much. Any team that is allowed to attack to that extent will get chances. We made it easy for India by withdrawing too much,” Sardar said.
“It was in the second half that we also came out and attacked,” he said. “In this game, we were good in parts and disorganised in some other parts. From the chances we created, we should have scored two goals.” “We can play a lot better. We look forward to a more organised game in our next outing,” Sardar added.
With the score 1-1 at the half-time, India started from where they stopped in the last quarter.
The world No. 5 side quickly took the lead in the 31st minute when Mandeep Singh deftly moved past his marker in the circle to place his shot into the left corner of the Pakistan net.
Dilpreet Singh found the target in the 42nd minute striking from a rebound after his firm shot was blocked by the Pakistan goalkeeper.
The goal more or the less ended Pakistan’s chances in the game as India comfortably weathered some penalty corners and swift attacks by the rivals.
With the second win of the tournament, India moved onto six points to top the standings. Pakistan are third with one win and a defeat.
Anuroop Athiparambath
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