SALALAH (OMAN), Aug 29:
India crushed Bangladesh by a massive margin of 15-1 in the men’s Asian Hockey 5s World Cup Qualifier contest, here on Tuesday.
While Maninder Singh was the leading scorer with four goals, Mohammed Raheel netted three whereas Sukhvinder, Gurjot Singh, and Pawan Rajbhar hit two goals each. Mandeep Mor and Dipsan Tirkey scored one goal apiece.
On the other hand, Sawon Sarowar (2nd) scored the solitary goal for Bangladesh. India began on a dominant note, allowing Pawan Rajbhar to penetrate the opponent’s box early on.
While Bangladesh denied him a scoring opportunity, they counter-attacked with Sarowar (2nd) netting the opening goal of the encounter. However, India levelled the scores immediately with Raheel (2nd) providing the equaliser.
In the eighth minute, skipper Mor put India in the lead, which was instantly followed by goals from Tirkey (9th) and Maninder (10th). Suraj Karkera then made a sensational save which saw India counter-attacking again, and Gurjot (13th) scored the fifth goal. Sukhvinder (13th) and Raheel (15th) struck one goal each to take India to 7-1 at the halftime.
India began with another attack from the right as Maninder (18th) found the back of the net to make it 8-1. Less than a minute later, Rajbhar (19th) also entered the scoresheet with India’s ninth goal.
India continued to overwhelm Bangladesh with possession and pressed deeper into the opponent’s half.
Sukhvinder’s (22nd) strike propelled India into double figures in the goal tally, as his effort from near the halfway mark was successful. A minute later, Gurjot (23rd) beat the Bangladeshi keeper once again for India’s 11th goal.
In the following minute, Raheel (24th) produced a reverse hit to complete his hat-trick. Rajbhar (26th) hit the back of the net to ensure the flurry of goals continued for India, as with a couple of minutes left, Maninder (28th and 30th) also completed his hat-trick. India will take on Oman, followed by a clash against Pakistan, on Wednesday. (PTI)
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