India edge past Germany to start with a victory
Win 3-2 With Harmanpreet Opener & Sukhjit Brace
- Rourkela: After a disappointing World Cup campaign early this year, the Indian men's hockey team began their preparation for the Asian Games on a bright note as they eased past World Champions Germany 3-2 in Pro League at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium he re on Friday.
- While captain Hamper et Singh scored the opener towards the end of the second quarter, Sukhjeet Singh scored twice in the third quarter to seal the match in the Favour of the hosts.
- But Germany did their best to make a comeback and scored two late goals. Paul Philipp Kaufmann scored in the 45th minute while Michel Struthoff sounded the board in the 58th. However, they fai- led to score the equaliser and force the game into shootouts as India gave the fans just what they came to see.
- While Germany will now face off against Australia on Saturday, India will have a rest day before taking on Colin Batch's men on Sunday.
- Although they were happy to defend early in the game and looked quite shaky, to say the least, India took the lead in the dying seconds of the second quarter when Harmanpreet scored from their first penalty corner of the match.
- The Indian captain, who was nowhere close to his expected level during the World Cup, had no trouble breaching the German fort on his first effort. His flick into the bottom right corner was on the money and Germany goalkeeper Alexander Stadler had no chance of keeping it out.
- It was precise and powerful and reminded one of what Harmanpreet can do when he is in form. Even for Harmanpreet it must have meant a lot considering how he celebrated the goal, raising both his hands into the air.
- That goal changed the tempo of the match as Sukhjeet then doubled the lead two minutes into the third quarter. Jar Manpreet Singh played an inch-perfect long through pass from the right and Sukhjeet did brilliantly to deflect the ball into the net past the goalkeeper. The defender should have done well to keep the ball away, but he couldn't.
- Sukhjeet, who won the Man-of-the Match award for his efforts, then scored his second of the match 11 minutes later and this time it was a great ball from Manpreet Singh from the center of the field that resulted in the goal.
- Karthi Selvan first cont- rolled Manpreet's pass per- fectly at the top of the D and played it past the goalkeeper to Sukhjeet who dodged past a defender and scored.
- With Germany scoring two quick goals towards the end, it seemed as if the match will go into the shootouts, but India won a penalty stroke and had a chance to put the game out of Germany's reach. However, Harmanpreet missed it completely and India had to be con- tent with a 3-2 win in the end.