Indian men’s hockey team continue their unbeaten run in the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy as they thump Malaysia 5-0 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai. The hosts were helped back by Japan in a 1-1 draw but it is great to see Harmanpreet Singh’s men play their best hockey against Malaysia.
Before this, Malaysia were at the top of the table with two wins under their belt. They defeated Pakistan 3-1 and crushed China 5-1. Therefore it was always going to be a challenge for the hosts but they played with great intensity to simply demolish their opponents.
Coming to this match, India started very positively as Akashdeep Singh set up a nice chance for Vivek Sagar Prasad who went past two defenders before slotting it to Sukhjeet Singh. But the latter’s flick was way off target.
It was in the dying moments of the first quarter when local boy Karthi Selvam scored the opening goal for India. It was Harmanpreet Singh who found Karthi making the move and the rest was done by the youngster.
In the second quarter, Karthi’s brilliant move helped India earn a penalty corner but the players missed that opportunity to double the lead. Malaysia then launched an attack via Faiz Ali but Amit Rohidas’ fine tackle thwarted the opportunity.
It was in the third quarter that India doubled their lead through Hardik Singh. The chance came to Hardik from a penalty corner. Harmanpreet’s effort was saved by the Malaysian goalkeeper but Hardik slotted home the rebound.
Finally, it was Harmanpreet’s turn to score as he extended the lead to 3-0 in the 43rd minute from a penalty corner.
India wanted to finish with a bang as they had a comfortable three-goal lead. So they kept launching attacks despite being ahead in the game. Hence, they were rewarded with two goals from Gurjant Singh and Jugraj Singh in the final quarter as India demolished Malaysia 5-0 to roar back to the top of the Asian Champions Trophy standings. India will look to continue their dream run as they will face Korea next in the tournament.
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