After reaching the 200-goal mark in the previous match, India captain Harmanpreet Singh scored two more goals on Saturday as they beat Pakistan 2-1 in their final league match of the Asian Champions Trophy at the Moqi Training Base in Hulunbuir, China.
India registered five wins out of five in the tournament, defeating all the other participating teams while this was Pakistan’s first defeat of its campaign. Both teams had reached the semi-finals, in which Pakistan achieved two wins and two draws, after which it faced India.
India were considered the favourites before the match but Pakistan started the match on a positive note. India were a little sluggish with the ball and Pakistan took advantage of this and their in-form attacker Hannan Shahid scored the first goal in the 8th minute with a brilliant run from midfield. Ahmed Nadeem deflected the ball off India’s Krishan Pathak.
India did not take much time to respond and Harmanpreet equalised with a brilliant dragflick. It was her first chance of the match and the Indian captain unleashed a powerful shot, leaving the on-the-line defender and goalkeeper with no chance.
In the fourth minute of the second quarter, Harmanpreet got another great opportunity from a penalty corner. Once again, she scored with the right power and precision to give India the lead.
Pakistan’s intensity on the pitch dropped a bit after India’s second goal, but they still created some good chances on the counter-attack. After the half-time break, India came from behind and looked to play with control, but they struggled to create clear-cut chances. It was a match where India’s attackers failed to hold their ground inside the circle and the passes from the midfield were also poor.
Meanwhile, Pakistan maintained better control of the ball and kept up the pressure with their attacking moves but failed to score an equaliser. Pathak made some crucial saves in the third quarter to keep India ahead.
In the final quarter, Pakistan were reduced to 10 players after Ashraf Waheed Rana received a 10-minute yellow card. Pakistan made a strong effort despite being one player short, but India’s defence made no mistake. India finished the match with 10 players after Manpreet received a 5-minute yellow card, but they handled the game well in the last few minutes and won the match.
The semi-finals will be held on the 16th in which India will face South Korea (3.30 pm Indian time) and Pakistan will face China.
You can enjoy the match on our blog below: