A dominant Indian Hockey team completed their near-perfect campaign to lift their third Asia Cup title in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
India’s ten-year wait for the continental championship ended when they overcame a resilient Malaysia 2-1 in a nail-biting finish to lift the 10th edition of the Asia Cup. India previously won the title in 2003 and 2007.
As discussed in our previous article, India started their campaign on a strong note under the watchful eye of new coach Sjoerd Marijne. Marijne had earlier coached the Indian women’s hockey team before acquiring the newly designated responsibility of the men’s team. After an undefeated run through the entire tournament, India fired twice in the first half (3rd and 29th minute) of the final – through the sticks of Ramandeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay. Not to be undone on the day, the ever-improving Malaysian attack retaliated hard and strong. Their persistence paid of in the 50th minute when Shahril Saabah ploughed through the Indian defense and scored a goal to reduce the deficit.
After an agonizing last 10-minutes, India (runners up from the last edition) did well to hold their nerve and their lead. While Malaysia ended runners-up, Pakistan beat Korea to claim third spot.
Also Read: Confident India look to beat Pakistan, retain No.1 ranking in Asia
Akashdeep Singh was adjudged Man of The Match. Lalit Upadhyay was awarded Goal of the Match. And Harmanpreet Singh claimed Best Goal of the tournament. The Indians, ranked sixth in the world, will move up a spot and into the top-five club. They also retain their No.1 ranking in the continent.
– Varun Kumar | SpreadSports
