The young Indian men’s hockey team put up a spirited performance to clinch a bronze medal by defeating Japan 1-0 in the Asia Cup here on Wednesday.
After missing out on a place in the title clash on goal difference after a thrilling 4-4 draw with South Korea on Tuesday, the defending champions India Came out with aim and scored a field goal through Rajkumar Pal in the seventh minute of the game and then defended in numbers to seal the deal.
India got off to a great start and pushed hard in the first five minutes of the match, but their attack was thwarted once inside opposition D.
The Indians, however, broke the deadlock in the seventh minute with a swift counter-attack, with Uttam Singh working hard to set it up for Rajkumar Pal, who neatly passed it past Japanese goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa.
The Indians got two consecutive penalty corners after three minutes but lost both.
In the last five minutes of the first quarter, Japan fought hard to level the match and made several raids but the Indian defense remained determined to maintain its lead.
After trailing by a goal, Japan continued to attack and in the process earned two consecutive penalty corners in the 20th minute but the Indians defended in numbers to maintain their lead.
Japan and India both had a few more chances in the second quarter but both teams stumbled in the last third.
Japan attacked after a change of ends and secured two more penalty corners in quick succession but failed to break the tenacious Indian defence.
In the middle, India had a golden opportunity to extend their lead but Rajkumar shot SV Sunil from close range.
The Japanese put relentless pressure on the Indian defenses in the last two quarters in search of an equalizer but the Birender-Lakra side stood like a rock to deny their opponents.
Japan got three consecutive penalty corners in the 48th minute but could not break the Indian backline.
Japan got another penalty corner in the 51st minute but the Indian defense again missed the opportunity.
While Japan fought hard in the remaining minutes, the Indians pushed back the numbers to successfully defend their one-goal lead and secure a podium finish.
Later in the day, Malaysia and South Korea will face each other in the title match.
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