Hockey
Asia Cup: India and Pakistan play out intense 1-1 draw
Pakistan equalised with a last-minute goal to end the match at 1-1 after India led for a majority of the game.
India Vs Pakistan (Source: Hockey India)
India kicked off its 2022 Asia Cup campaign with a 1-1draw with arch-rivals Pakistan. The match was evenly contested with both sides missing several good chances to take or extend their lead. India however squandered the match at the end allowing Pakistan to score a tap in of a PC.
The first quarter saw a series of penalty corners go in favour of either side. India was particularly eager to get on the scoresheet and did so when Selvam Karthi found the net thanks to a deflection from a Pakistani defender. A majority of the PC's weren't executed properly with most going wide or being mis trapped by the stopper.
Suraj Karkera was particularly involved in the second quarter and made a string of saves to keep the Pakistani team at bay. Ghaznafar Ali and Arfaz were particularly active and made attempts to penetrate the circle on multiple occasions. The first half ended with Indian maintaining its lead over Pakistan at halftime thanks to their solitary goal while Pakistan, failed to make an impact with its lacklustre display.
The third quarter was the most eventful part of the game. Pakistan won a PC in the opening 15 seconds of the third quarter that they subsequently missed. India however came back hard and missed multiple chances through open play inside the opposing half. It was maybe the inexperience of the forwards that lead to the missed chances as India failed to capitalise and score a second goal. This also culminated in two consecutive PCs that were saved by Pakistan's goalkeeper.
The 4th quarter was more subdued with a few attempts on goal from both sides. Pakistan kept their referral after a misjudgment by the referee to award India a PC. Ammad Butt came close to scoring a goal but Suraj Karkera made a fine save yet again to deny him. The attack seemed to be miscommunication and squandered a few counterattacks with missed passes.
India could not hold on for the final few minutes as they allowed Pakistan to win a PC. Abdul Rana scores for Pakistan at the dying moments of the match after a deflected PC drag-flick fell for him near the goal.
