Hockey | Manpreet Singh and Dilpreet Singh help India overcome Pakistan challenge

Hockey | Manpreet Singh and Dilpreet Singh help India overcome Pakistan challenge

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Indian hockey star, Dilpreet Singh and Captain Manpreet Singh led India to a comeback victory over Pakistan at the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat on Saturday. Pakistan had opened the scoring in the first minute, but a resilient India fired back three goals to seal their second straight win.

India got off to the worst possible start to the match as they lost their review and went a goal down in the very first minute of the match. Mohammad Irfan jr hit a stroke from a penalty corner, put the ball beyond goalkeeper Sreejesh - who was making his 200th International appearance - to hand Pakistan the lead after the Indian goalkeeper had parried the initial effort

Moving ahead of the game, India attack lacked cohesion, and rarely troubled goalkeeper Imran Butt. However, the momentum of the game turned out by the side of blues when an extraordinary individual effort from skipper Manpreet Singh who beatb three Pakistan defenders and rifled a shot to the bottom corner to level score heading into half-time. 

India boosted their attacking rhythm after the break as Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh and vice-captain Chinglensana Singh kept the pressure on the Pakistan side. And India soon reaped the rewards as Mandeep Singh lifted India in the lead in the third quarter with an extraordinary piece of skill.

It was then Dilpreet Singh's turn to get on the scoresheet to add gloss to the scoreline. Akashdeep’s defence-splitting pass found Lalit Upadhyay on the right and the latter drilled the ball towards goal and Butt could only palm the ball straight to the waiting stick of Dilpreet, who tucked it away to give India a two-goal cushion.

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