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Sultan of Johor Hockey: India, Great Britain play 3-3 draw to qualify for the gold medal game

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Rajan Nath
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Sultan of Johor Hockey: India, Great Britain play 3-3 draw to qualify for the gold medal game
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India and Great Britain played an exciting 3-3 draw in their final round-robin league game to set up a summit clash for the gold medal in the Sultan of Johor Hockey Tournament. Both teams ended their league engagements with three wins, one draw and one defeat each. India, however, finished a the top of the table with better goal difference. The draw also eliminated any chances of Japan making to the gold medal match as both India and Great Britain took their points tally to 10 points each. Shilanand Lakra, Mandeep Mor and Sharda Nand Tewari were the scorers for India. The gold medal match will be played tomorrow. In a cagey first quarter, India controlled the pace of the game and was at the forefront of most attacks but unable to breach the Great Britain defence. India earned its first penalty corner of the game in the 11th minute.  The ball fell to Dinachandra Singh whose shot on goal was parried by Oliver Payne in Great Britain's goal. The two teams went into the break locked at 0-0.publive-image India picked up pace in the second quarter and slowly started asserting itself more in the midfield. The first clear opportunity fell to Gursahibjit Singh, released by a superb pass from Sudeep Chirmako. Gursahibjit's shot though was dragged wide. Soon enough Payne was called into action once again, this time when Sanjay went through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, who did enough to thwart the attempt. India slowly turned the screw and chances fell in bursts, Sanjay dragging another PC wide, before Great Britain finally got its first chance of the game. It came off a PC in the 27th minute, Ioan Wall's drag-flick giving it the first goal of the game. India hit back almost immediately and if not for Payne's brilliance it would have the equaliser, via Shilanand Lakra. His reflex saves though meant that India went into half-time trailing 1-0.
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publive-image Great Britain was quicker off the blocks in the third quarter and doubled its advantage in the 32nd minute via an Andrew McConnell goal. Almost from the restart, India won a PC. Mandeep Mor's subsequent drag-flick was saved by Payne and from the rebound, Dilpreet's reverse was cleared off the line by the defence. Despite India's multiple circle penetrations and constant attack, a goal eluded the team.. The teams went into the final break with Great Britain leading 2-0. Also Read | India vs South Africa, 3rd Test: India eye 3-0 whitewash against Proteas at Ranchi With their backs against the wall, urgency came into India's play and right from the push back it wrested control of the game. Three minutes in Mor grabbed possession on the right and directed a superb pass to find Shilanand Lakra inside the circle. Lakra's superb touch and finish brought the margin down to one. With momentum on their side, India pushed for the equalizer and soon they had one. Off a succession of PCs, each of which put Great Britain under more pressure, Mandeep Mor finally breached the rushers to score the equalizer in the 51st minute. Great Britain knew it needed just a draw to qualify for the final, but India was not letting it. In the 57th minute, India was awarded a stroke, after Dilpreet was brought down illegally in the circle. Sharda Nand Tiwari made no mistake from the spot to give India the lead. With India now happy to defend, it was Great Britain's turn to look for the equalizer, and with virtually the last action of the game, a PC won in the 59th minute Matthew Renshaw scored, ensuring a rematch in the final. Interestingly, in the second game, Malaysia defeated Japan 3-2 to move above its Asian rivals. -PTC News-
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