Asian Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament 2023: India beat Pakistan 4-0
India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by a margin of 4-0 in their final round-robin league match to enter the semifinals of the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament on an unbeaten note at Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, in Chennai on Wednesday. Akashdeep Singh scored the final goal for India at 55th minute of the game through a field play. Caption Harmanpreet Singh converted two penalty corners (15th, 23rd minutes), while Jugraj Singh (36th) netted from another set piece.
Now India topped the standings with 13 points from four wins and one draw, while Pakistan crashed out of the tournament on goal difference despite finishing on equal five points with Korea and Japan. Pakistan needed at least a draw or a one-goal defeat to make it to the semifinals. Now, India will play with Japan in the semifinal on Friday, while Malaysia will locks horns against Korea.
Both India and Pakistan started the match in a attacking mood. Pakistan showed the early sparks by getting into the Indian circle on quite a few occasions. But the Indian defence did not allowed any inroads.
Pakistan was first to get a penalty corner which was brilliantly saved by the Indian goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak. Pakistan appealed for a penalty corner in the ninth minute of the game after Karthi Selvam, Jarmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh made three attacking attempts which were rejected by the video referee. In the 13th minutes, Selvam from India made a solo attack inside the Pakistan box, only to be denied by rival goalie Akmal Hussain.
India earned its penalty corner just at the stroke of first quarter. Harmanpreet flicked it with a powerful low flick to the left of Pakistan goalkeeper Akmal to put India into lead. In the 21st minutes, Pakistan came
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