Scorers: Mandeep Singh (23'), Harmanpreet Singh (27', 47')
Ipoh (Malaysia), 30 April 2017: India excelled against New Zealand as they won 3-0 in their second match at the 26th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup here on an entertaining Sunday. India’s 2016 Junior World Cup winners Mandeep Singh (23’) and Harmanpreet Singh (27’ and 47’) got on the scoresheet while the defence led by Rupinder Pal Singh and Surender Kumar ensured they stayed in the lead to win the match and enthral the Indian supporters in Ipoh.
Though the first quarter ended in a stalemate, New Zealand had pushed India on the back foot right from the start as they attacked with speed and precision. The Black Sticks kept the Indian goalkeeper Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh busy in the first 15 minutes, forcing him to save as many as three attempts.
New Zealand were the first to earn a PC in the 6th minute when their attacker found Pardeep Mor’s foot in the circle. But Sreejesh was impressive when he denied dragger Sam Lane’s well-executed flick. India’s S.V Sunil came close to scoring in the 12th minute when he was assisted by Harmanpreet Singh but he couldn’t get the right connection with his shot lacking power.
The second quarter, however, belonged to India as they took an impressive 2-0 lead. They came out of the first break with an improvised game, made clever forays with innovative formations into the striking circle and found success in the 23rd minute. Junior World Cup winner Sumit and Chinglensana Kangujam set-up the goal for forward Mandeep Singh who deflected the ball, beating Richard Joyce to give India a much-needed 1-0 lead.
Later in the 27th minute, Indian forward Akashdeep Singh found defender Alex Shaw’s foot when he was dribbling into the circle. The chance was made use of by young drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh who was impeccable with a brilliantly struck flick that beat New Zealand keeper Richard.
A clever-thinking Sardar Singh set-up another PC for India when he found captain Manpreet Singh at the circle who found the New Zealand defender’s feet but India couldn’t score from the opportunity. India earned another PC in the dying minutes of the second quarter but couldn’t capitalise. Yet, they went into half-time with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The Black Sticks’ hope of coming back into the game in the third quarter was dented with a strong defensive structure showcased by India. Roelant Oltmans’ men did well in retaining the lead as they went into the fourth quarter putting further pressure on the Black Sticks.
India did well to win their 4th PC within two minutes of the fourth quarter and Harmanpreet Singh was assertive as he struck his second goal of the match. He picked up the ball with precision and sent it high up giving no chance to the New Zealand keeper. This 47th-minute goal gave India a formidable 3-0 lead.
Harjeet and Mandeep came up with some smart play, helping India win their fifth PC but Harmanpreet Singh missed the opportunity to score another goal. The team almost immediately won another PC but Harmanpreet Singh’s attempt to get his hat-trick went amiss as his flick was slightly wide. Talwinder Singh won India their seventh PC in the 55th minute but Rupinder Pal Singh’s flick was saved by keeper Devon Manchester. India kept the lead to pick up their first win of the tournament.
On May 2nd, India will take on Australia at 13.35 hrs Indian Standard Time.
Matches will be shown live on Star Sports 2 & HD 2 and live streamed on Hotstar.
