Indian hockey team continued their domination over arch-rivals Pakistan beating them 4-3 in a closely fought battle to settle for a bronze medal in the Asian Champions Trophy 2021 being played in Dhaka.
India started on a positive note as drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh scored from the penalty corner in the first five minutes of the match. This was Harmanpreet’s 8th goal of the tournament to give India 1-0 lead. Pakistan fought back in the next quarter with Afraz equalising for his team soon and levelled the score 1-1 as both teams entered half-time with scores on level terms.
In the third quarter, Pakistan took a lead as Abdul Rana scored the second goal for them. With India trailing 1-2 Sumit scored the equalizer corner to level the score 2-2 in the dying moments of the third quarter.
India kept on attacking right from the word go of the fourth and final quarter with Varun Kumar’s penalty corner goal India took a crucial 3-2 lead with less than 8 minutes remaining in the match.
Akashdeep Singh gave India a two-goal advantage as the Olympics bronze medallist took a decisive 4-2 lead. Pakistan team gave it their all as India were down to 9-men with two players getting the card. Ahmed Nadeem scored the third goal for them but it was too little and too late for Pakistan as the match ended 4-3 in India’s favour.
With this win, India registered their second win of the tournament against Pakistan and their fifth consecutive triumph. In the last 13 encounters, India have beaten Pakistan a whopping 12 times while one match ended in a draw. This clearly indicates India’s domination in hockey over their arch-rivals.