In the 26th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament, India defeated Japan 4-3 by Mandeep Singh’s hat-trick. In the fourth match of the ongoing tournament in Ipoh, India won after a tough fight. With this win, India has scored 7 points in four matches. While Australia and Great Britain have 7 points in three or three matches.
India’s finalists expect the rest
India’s last league match will take place on May 5 from Malaysia. In such a scenario, India will not only have to win this match to reach the finals but will also be looking at the result of the remaining two matches of Australia and the United Kingdom. Along with this, a better goal difference will be helpful in reaching the top two teams in the final.
Mandeep demolishes Japanese challenge
Mandeep Singh replaced the match with better stick work In the 45th minute, 3-2 ahead, Mandeep scored a 51 in a minute in Japan and equalized the score to 3-3. And in 58 minutes and one goal by scoring a goal ensured India’s victory.
India had made an edge in the 8th minute
India made the lead in the 8th minute by Rupinder Pal Singh of Japan. But in the 13th minute Kuruma Murata scored the score to 1-1. Fierce attacks from both sides continue. In the 43rd minute Japan’s Hita Hoshiara gave Japan a 2-1 lead. But Mandeep Singh made the match 2-2 in the 45th minute, while Gennki Mitani gave Japan a 3-2 lead without losing time. But after this Mandeep’s stick turned the dice. They gave India a spectacular win by two consecutive goals.
India lost the match from Australia
On Tuesday, India defeated the previous champions Australia by 3-1. Simultaneously, the 2016 finalist Indian team had to face the first defeat in the tournament. India had earlier defeated New Zealand 3-0. In the first match, his match against Great Britain was equal to 2-2.
Point table:
1. Australia: 3 matches, 2 wins, 1 draw, 0 losers, +7 goals difference, 7 point
2. Great Britain: 3 matches, 2 wins, 1 draw, 0 losers, +3 goals difference, 7 point
3. India: 4 matches, 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, +2 goals difference, 7 point
4. New Zealand: 3 matches, 1 win, 1 draw, 1 defeat, 2 goals difference, 4 point
5. Japan: 4 matches, 0 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses, -4 goals difference, 1 point
6. Malaysia: 3 matches, 0 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses, -6 goals difference, 1 point
