The Indian men’s team had a mixed day at FIH Hockey 5, beating hosts Switzerland 4-3 and drawing 2-2 against Pakistan in their first two matches on the opening day of the competition in Lausanne on Saturday.
The Indian men’s team led by Gurinder Singh defeated hosts Switzerland 4-3 to open their campaign in FIH Hockey 5. Mohammad Raheel (2′, 10′), Rabichandra Moirangthem (5′) and captain Gurinder Singh (19′) scored in India’s thrilling win, while Jonas Winkler (6′), Fabio Reinhardt (11), and Patrick Krusei (16) was the goalscorer for Switzerland.
India started their first match with a fast-paced set-play and scored through Mohammad Raheel in the second minute of the game. India Hockey India said in a release on Saturday that Rabichandra Moirangthem made no mistake in converting the challenge goal into a goal in the fifth minute.
A minute later, Switzerland pulled back a goal through a strike from Jonas Winkler. In the 10th, Mohammad Raheel scored his second goal of the match to give India a 3-1 lead at the end of the first half.
A quick start to the second half gave Switzerland their second goal in the 11th minute through Fabio Reinhardt, who scored a run from the right flank, to find the back of the net to beat the Indian defenders. After improving on their performance in the second period, the home side equalized in the 16th minute through Patrick Crusey.
With both teams looking for a winner, they created various scoring opportunities in the remaining four minutes of the match but their goalkeepers stood tall and made some excellent saves. In the 19th minute, India took the lead with captain Gurinder’s strike and it was finally goalkeeper Pawan who stopped Switzerland’s stroke in the last minute to give India a 4-3 victory.
In the second match, the Indian men’s hockey team played out a dramatic 2–2 draw against Pakistan. Mohammad Raheel (1′) and Gursahibjit Singh (18′) were the goal scorers for India, while Arshad (7′) and Abdul Rehman (20) scored for Pakistan in an intense match.
Exuding confidence after their first match win, India started the match aggressively from the start as Mohammad Raheel scored in the first minute of the match.
India dominated the proceedings and made some quick exchanges to extend their lead. However, in the 7th minute, Pakistan equalized with Arshad Liaquat’s strike. Both teams created a few scoring chances in the last minutes of the first half, but their defense restrained the score at 1-1 till half time.
Both the teams started the second half brilliantly and made some dangerous moves in front of each other’s goal but missed the opportunity. India took the lead in the 18th minute through a strike by Gursahibjit Singh, but within seconds, Abdul Rehman equalized for Pakistan, ending the thrilling match in a draw.
The Indian men’s hockey team will take on Malaysia in their next match on June 5 and will also take on Poland in the latter match.
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