Johor Bahru: Riding high on confidence post their thunderous win in the last match against Pakistan by 6-0, the Indian Junior Men Hockey team defeated host Malaysia 4-2 in their fourth pool match of the 4th Sultan of Johor Cup being played at Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
The game commenced at a slow pace as neither of the teams, in spite of their continued attacking efforts, were able to score. It was in the 25th minute that India earned a penalty corner and Harmanpreet Singh perfectly converted that opportunity into the first goal of the match, giving India a lead of 1-0.
However, the second half saw a change of course as Muhd Rohulami scored the first goal for Malaysia in the 37th minute and Azril Misron posted another field goal in the 42nd minute, leveling the goal tally and signaling a vital comeback of the hosts into the game. Alarmed at the quick progression of the opponents, India fought hard to retaliate when they gained a penalty corner.
It was Harmanpreet again who took the strike and converted the opportunity into his third goal in the 55th minute, taking the score to 3-2, regaining the lead for India. In the 65th minute Varun Kumar made no mistake in converting a penalty stroke into a goal for India, doubling the score for India.
At the end of the game, the scores were 4-2, sealing a hard-earned win for India. Commenting on the win, Coach Mr. Harendra Singh said, “I am extremely pleased to see the way the boys have performed today. Starting off well, they conceded two quick goals in the second half but did not allow pressure to take hold of them and remained calm. This composure helped the boys to make a brilliant comeback, the result of which is this well-deserved win for them. I am proud of the way they handled the stressful situation and look forward to similar performances in future.”
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