Bhubaneswar: India, who were eliminated earlier from the Hockey World Cup, defeated the Asian Games champions Japan by eight goals in the match to decide their place. Captain Harmanpreet Singh and young striker Abhishek played a crucial role in the victory with double goals.
After a scoreless first and second quarters, India scored four goals each in the third and fourth quarters to win the match. This win is a relief for India, who were eliminated from the tournament after losing the cross over match against New Zealand earlier. The hosts will face South Africa on Saturday in the battle for the ninth to 12th position.
Harmanpreet Singh’s goals were in the 46th and 59th minutes. Both were from penalty corners. The skipper took most of the 26 penalty corners that India got in the tournament till yesterday’s match and could not score a single goal.
However, a field goal was to be scored in the match against Wales. Abhishek’s goals were in the 36th and 44th minutes. Mandeep Singh (33rd minute), Vivek Sagar Prasad (40), Manpreet Singh (59) and Sukhjeet Singh (60) scored the remaining goals. In front of a packed crowd at the Birsa Munda Stadium, India had 60 per cent possession of the game.
