INDIA: The Indian Men’s Hockey team took on Japan in a 9-16th World Cup classification match that proved to be a one-sided game between the two Asian sides.
With a final score of 8-0, India dominated the game from start to finish, with Japan struggling to score a single goal throughout the match.
India vs Japan
The match began with India earning a penalty corner, with Shamser Singh injecting the ball. However, despite the rebound, Harmanpreet Singh was unable to convert for India. But it wouldn’t take long for India to get on the scoreboard.
In the next play, Abhishek found the goal after a pass from Nilakanta Sharma, putting India up 1-0.
Japan tried to respond with a penalty corner of their own, but India’s defence was able to deflect the ball aside.
India continued to press forward, with Akashdeep and Mandeep earning another penalty corner. But this time, Japan asked for a referral as Akashdeep’s foot was involved outside the circle.
Despite Japan’s best efforts, India continued to score. Vivek Prasad passed the ball to Abhishek, who was alone in the Japanese circle and managed to find the goal, putting India up 2-0.
In the next play, India earned yet another penalty corner, with Shamser Singh injecting the ball. Vivek scored on the rebound this time, putting India up 3-0.
As the match progressed, it became clear that Seren Tanaka-led team was struggling to score against India’s defence.
India’s star players, Harmanpreet and Abhishek, continued to score goals, with Manpreet Singh adding another goal with a quick flick to the right corner.
In the game’s final minute, India earned yet another penalty corner, and Harmanpreet was able to score, putting India up 7-0. And in the game’s dying seconds, Sukhjeet Singh scored India’s eighth and final goal.
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