AMN / OMAN
Defending champions India won Gold again defeating arch-rival Pakistan 2-1 in the Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 hockey final at the Salalah Sports Complex in Oman tonight.
After the victory, the Hockey India announced rewards for the Players and Staff for their fantastic achievement by offering a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs for each Player and 1 lakh for each Support Staff of the Junior Men’s Hockey Team.
Uttam Singh declared the Player of the Match for leading the team to an emphatic victory over Pakistan in the Final of the Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2023.
Pakistan kept the pressure on India as they get consecutive penalty corners. However India’s defence stands resolute as they keep thwarting their neighbour’s threats on the pitch.
Early goals by Angad Bir Singh (13′) and Araijeet Singh Hundal (20′) put India ahead but it due to some brilliant saves by Mohith that kept them in the lead throughout the match.
With this victory, India has created a new record of winning the maximum titles at the Junior Asia Cup. The team had previously won the title in 2004, 2008 and 2015 while Pakistan has won the tournament in 1988, 1992, 1996.
Hailing the team’s effort and their unbeaten record in the prestigious tournament which saw them qualify for the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup in Malaysia, the Hockey India Executive Board announced a cash award of INR 2.00 Lakh each for players and INR 1.00 Lakh each for support staff.
The final turned out to be an edge of the seat affair. India got off to a roaring start. They pushed Pakistan on the backfoot with early opportunities to score. They capitalized on their opponents’ errors in the circle and punished them by converting the PC earned in the 13th minute.
While it was Araijeet Singh Hundal who took a powerful shot on goal, Angad Bir Singh was quick on his feet to pick up the rebound and find a perfect deflection.
While the opening goal put India in command, a goal by Araijeet in the 20th minute helped in putting pressure on the Pakistani defence.
In the following quarter, the two teams lived up to the billing producing some tense moments that kept the full-house Salalah audience on their toes. Backed by a strong Pakistani fanbase, they were able to finally make a breakthrough in the 38th minute when Basharat Ali worked a brilliant field goal.
Though Pakistan found a number of opportunities to score through PCs in the last quarter, man of the match Shashikumar Mohith made some sensational saves to keep India ahead.
The final quarter saw Pakistan make a flurry of attacks and they got at least three penalty corners in quick succession. In the 50th minute, Mohith made a diving save when Arbaz Ayaz tried to deflect a penalty corner from the left side of the goal. They got another penalty corner but Nadeem Khan’s attempt was off-target. The Men in Blue managed to hold fort and see out a memorable win
After the victory Captain Uttam Singh who was awarded the Player of the Match said, “After the 1-1 draw in the round robin stage, we were very aware of the areas we had to do well in order to beat Pakistan. It was quite a nervous Final. The team had never played in front of such a big crowd but I think created early goals helped us stay in control of the game.”
Shashikumar Mohith was declared best goalkeeper of the tournament
Experienced India Coach CR Kumar expressed that it was a good team effort. “It came down to executing our opportunities. Though I feel we could have scored a few more goals, when you are playing a big opponent like Pakistan there is a lot of pressure. But I am very happy with the way the players controlled their emotions and played to their potential.”
Congratulating the team, Hockey India President i Dilip Tirkey said, “They have made us all extremely proud with their unbeaten performance at the tournament . The team has shown great promise over the past few months, particularly after their historic win at the Sultan of Johor Cup they have become a dominate force and I believe this big win will hold them in good stead for the Junior World Cup later this year.
“Hockey India has decided to honour the players for this feat with a befitting cash award. I congratulate the team and the support staff for their efforts.”He added.
The two teams clashed earlier in the league stages with the match ending in a 1-1 draw. India, however, managed to top the group as they had a better goal difference over second-placed Pakistan.
India had opened its campaign with an 18-0 win over Chinese Taipei and a 3-1 win over Japan. India trounced Thailand 17-0 in their final group game. In the semi-finals, India beat the Republic of Korea 9-1. The Men’s Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament is being held after eight years. The 2021 edition was cancelled due to COVID.