JOHOR BAHRU (Malaysia): The Indian junior men's hockey team started their campaign at the eighth
Sultan of Johor Cup
with a hard fought 2-1 win over hosts Malaysia on Saturday.
Harmanjit Singh
(12th minute) and
Shilanand Lakra
(46th) were the goal scorers for India while
Muhammad Zaidi
(47th) pulled a goal back for Malaysia.
It was intense encounter as both the teams vied for possession in the middle of the park, but neither could stitch together a string of passes.
It was only after the 10th minute that India found an opening through a long-ball from deep inside their circle but the opportunity went wasted as Malaysian goalkeeper Adrian Albert made a greatThe second quarter belonged to Malaysia as the home team troubled the Indian defence on several occasions by creating opportunities.
However, some resolute defending by the Indian defence made sure that the hosts could not find an equaliser before the half-time whistle.
India started the third quarter on the front foot and tried to stamp their authority on the match by creating several chances
But Malaysia pulled one back in the next minute through Zaidi who scored past Indian goalkeeper Pankaj Rajak.
With just 13 minutes remaining on the clock, Malaysia stepped up their efforts and created a few opportunities, but could not find an opening as India defended well.
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