Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh continued his impressive form, scoring two penalty corners, as the team extended its unbeaten streak in the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy. Facing Pakistan, India had to put in more effort than in previous matches to secure a 2-1 win in their final league game on Saturday. This marked India’s fifth consecutive victory in the six-team round-robin stage. However, tensions escalated between the two teams during the match, leading to a heated clash on the field.
Pakistan struck first, with Ahmad Nadeem scoring in the 8th minute, but Harmanpreet (13th, 19th) responded with two successful penalty corners, leading India to a hard-fought victory. It was Pakistan’s first defeat in the tournament. As the match progressed, Pakistan tried to unsettle India, particularly in the final quarter, aiming to find an equalizer.
India started strong, dominating early exchanges, but Pakistan gained momentum as the game went on. Pakistan’s Hannan Shahid made a brilliant midfield run, splitting the Indian defense, and Nadeem capitalized to put Pakistan ahead.
India quickly regained composure and earned their first penalty corner in the 13th minute, with Harmanpreet’s powerful drag-flick leveling the score. In the 19th minute, another penalty corner saw Harmanpreet give India a 2-1 lead.
Players clash during India vs Pakistan Hockey 🏑 match of Asian Champions Trophy. 🇮🇳v🇵🇰@jarmanpreet04 @13harmanpreet @manpreetpawar07 @iSunilTaneja @vikrantgupta73 @razi_haider #INDvPAK #Hockey #HockeyIndia #ACT24 pic.twitter.com/8mHLGKnP8s
— Harsh Tegta (@iamharshtegta) September 14, 2024
Though India controlled possession in the second quarter, Pakistan also created opportunities, coming close to equalizing. Just before halftime, they had a penalty corner, but Sufyan Khan’s flick was disallowed for a raised ball.
The second half saw India maintain possession and earn another penalty corner, but Pakistan defended well. Pakistan then earned four penalty corners in quick succession, but their attempts were thwarted by India’s defense. Both teams launched intense attacks in the final quarter, with India earning three more short corners but failing to convert.
A physical altercation erupted between India’s Harmanpreet Singh and Pakistan’s Ashraf Waheed Rana after Jugraj Singh was shouldered inside India’s circle. Jugraj was left in visible pain, and Harmanpreet, along with Jarmanpreet Singh, confronted the offender.
Umpires, along with Pakistan captain Ammad Butt and other players, intervened to calm the situation. Rana was shown a yellow card and suspended for 10 minutes after the umpire referred the incident for serious misconduct.
As shared on social media: “Players clash during India vs Pakistan Hockey match of Asian Champions Trophy…”