India came from behind to defeat arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 in a thrilling pool match of the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy at the Moqi Training Base in Hulunbuir, China. With this win, India completed the group stage of the tournament with a 100% win record and handed Pakistan their first defeat of the tournament.
India began the match on the front foot, putting Pakistan under pressure. However, it was Pakistan who took the lead of the match courtesy of Hannan Shahid’s darting run into the Indian circle to set up Ahmad Nadeem who got the vital final touch to beat goalkeeper Pathak.
It didn’t take long for Men in Blue to respond as Harmanpreet Singh slotted the penalty corner past the onrushing defense and off the goalkeeper’s pads to level the game at 1-1.
The second quarter started with the same intensity as the first with both sides coming close to taking the lead but it was India who took the lead with skipper Harmanpreet Singh scoring his second of the day and 203rd of his career with a brilliant drag-flick from a penalty corner.
After taking the lead, the defending champions looked much more composed on the ball and kept possession for most of the second half. Pakistan won a couple of penalty corners late in the game but was unable to capitalize as the Indian defense remained resolute.
With 10 minutes left to play and Pakistan pressing hard for an equalizer, Jugraj went down after a collision with Rana inside the Indian circle. Harmanpreet and Jarmanpreet Singh immediately confronted Rana, exchanging words before the on-field umpires, Pakistan captain Ammad Butt, and players from both sides stepped in to diffuse the tension. Rana was shown a yellow card after the situation was cooled down by the umpires, resulting in Pakistan having to play the final 10 minutes of the match with just 10 men.
India controlled the final stages of the match with a man’s advantage and saw off the match 2-1. Despite the win, Nilakanta Sharma, who was awarded the Man of the Match for his performance, was quick to point out the difficulties his team faced and urged his side to wrap up their defense ahead of the knockout stages. “We are not happy with the match as we struggled when we didn’t have the ball. We have a few new players and that’s the problem.” Sharma said.
Both the teams had already booked their spot in the semifinals. India has 5 wins out of 5 and ends the group stage with 15 points while Pakistan stays second with 8 points to their name.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
