DHAKA: Harmanpreet Singh and Akashdeep Singh were among the goal-scorers as India recorded a 3-1 win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asian Champion’s Trophy clash on Friday in Dhaka.
India took the lead in the first quarter by scoring 1-0 against their arch-rival, while Akashdeep Singh scored the remaining goal for India minutes into the third quarter.
After Harmanpreet and Akashdeep made it 2-0, Pakistan did show signs of a comeback when Junaid Manzoor halved the lead by the end of the third quarter.
However, India’s Harmanpareet Singh pulled off another goal in the third quarter to lead his team towards victory and paving way for the team to qualify for the next stage.
Pakistanis now placed in the fourth place in the preliminary round standings. India, on the other hand, consolidated their place at the top of the table. It was Pakistan’s first defeat in the six-team tournament. Their first match was a 0-0 draw against Japan on December 14.
Pakistan will play South Korea and Bangladesh in the remaining preliminary round matches tomorrow and day after respectively. The top four sides in the round will make it to the semi-finals.
It is pertinent to mention that both the teams won the title three years ago in Oman. Pakistan holds a phenomenal record by winning four times in the Champions Trophy, while India won the inaugural event in 2011.
India have improved their game in the last three years and was favourite to win today’s match by being in the top three teams of the world. While Pakistan, ranked 18, remained secluded from International Hockey after missing the inaugural FIH Pro League two years back.
