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That's it from all of us here - this is Subhashish signing off - join us tomorrow as India meet Asian Games gold-medalists Japan at 2240 IST. Good night and stay with Sportskeeda for all the latest news and updates
THE INDIANS MAINTAIN THEIR STRANGLEHOLD OVER PAKISTAN - THEY HAVE REMAINED UNBEATEN EVER SINCE THE 2016 ASIAN CHAMPIONS TROPHY AGAINST THEIR ARCH RIVALS WHO ARE TRYING HARD TO REDISCOVER THE OLD MAGIC - WILL WE WITNESS ANOTHER INIDIA - PAKISTAN ENCOUNTER AT THE WORLD CUP? QUITE POSSIBLE (IN THE CROSSOVERS) - AND WHAT A CONTEST THAT WOULD BE!!
IN SPITE OF THE LOSS, HASSAN SARDAR WILL BE HAPPY HIS BOYS STARTED WELL AND MATCHED THE INDIANS INITIALLY - BUT PAKISTAN SIMPLY DID NOT HAVE THE QUALITY TO COME BACK FROM A TWO-GOAL DEFICIT!! THE INDIANS DISPLAYED THEIR CHARACTER BY BEING UNFAZED EVEN AFTER THE EARLY REVERSE - JUST WHAT HARENDRA SINGH WOULD HAVE WANTED!
THE INDIA-PAK ENCOUNTER IN THE CHAMPIONS TROPHY WAS A CAGEY AFFAIR - AT JAKARTA, BOTH TEAMS WERE UNDER PRESSURE TO WIN BRONZE - BUT HERE AT MUSCAT, THE TWO GIANTS OF WORLD HOCKEY GIVE THE WORLD A DISPLAY OF THE SO-CALLED "SUBCONTINENTAL" SYTLE OF HOCKEY - PACY, SKILLFUL, AND DELIGHTFUL TO WATCH WITH SOME INCREDIBLE GOALS - MANPREET WEAVED HIS WAY PAST A HOST OF GREEN SHIRTS TO FIND THE EQUALIZER - MANDEEP WITH HIS BACK TOWARDS THE GOAL SQUEEZED THE BALL BETWEEN HIS LEGS - AND DILPREET BENEFITED FROM LALIT'S IMMENSE EXPERIENCE!!! IRFAN JR SET THE MATCH UP IN THE VERY FIRST MINUTE BY GIVING PAKISTAN THE LEAD BY FIRING A REBOUND IN OFF A PC - WE HAVE WITNESSED A SUPER CONTEST HERE!!
55' Rizwan does well to try a solo run down the right flank but cannot control the ball in the circle - Krishan Pathak gets his first touch - clears the ball
BOY OH BOY, WHAT A CONTEST WE ARE HAVING - AKASHDEEP FINDS MANDEEP WITH HIS BACK TOWARDS THE GOAL - MANDEEP SQUEEZES THE BALL UNDER HIS LEGS IN INCREDIBLE FASHION - LALIT THEN FINDS DILPREET - NO DOUBTING HIS SKILLS EITHER!!! INDIA HAVE A TWO-GOAL LEAD - CAN PAKISTAN FIND A WAY BACK?
43' Great defending by Lalit - he is in the thick of the action here - INDIA HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE - HARMANPREET'S CROSS FAILS TO FIND A BLUE SHIRT IN THE STRKING CIRCLE
SIXTEEN CIRCLE ENTRIES FOR INDIA - FIVE FOR PAKISTAN - SEVENTY PERCENT OF THE POSSESSION FOR INDIA!!! BOTH COACHES SAY THE PLAYERS NEED TO BE PATIENT!!!!
THIS MATCH HAS BEEN A SPECTATOR'S DELIGHT - JUST WHAT ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM AN INDIA-PAKISTAN ENCOUNTER - IT'S BEEN FAST, IT'S BEEN FREE FLOWING, IT'S BEEN BRILLAINT - PAKISTAN WENT AHEAD IN THE VERY FIRST MINUTE AS IRFAN JR LATCHED ON TO A REBOUND OFF A PC - MANPREET'S GOAL WAS REMINISCENT OF THE MANNER IN WHICH THE GREATEST WIZARDS OF THE SUBCONTINENT ONCE SCORED THEIR GOALS - WHAT A MATCH - AND WE HAVE A WHOLE HALF LEFT TO GO!!!
17' Free flowing hockey on display here as both team not holding back - Pakistan into the attack - MD ZUBAIR SHOOTS WIDE - THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS FOR INDIA!!!!!
WELL, WELL, WELL - INDIA HAVE HAD 74% OF THE POSSESSION BUT PAKISTAN ARE AHEAD!!! IRFAN JR DOES THE TRICK AS HE FIRED IN A REBOUND OFF A PC - HOW WILL INDIA RESPOND??
