Dhaka: In a neck-and-neck contest between India and Pakistan it was Manpreet Singh’s boys who came out on top, beating arch-rivals 4-3 to secure a third-place finish at the Asian Champions Trophy 2021. It was India, who took the lead in the opening stage of the game, however, Pakistan soon bounced back ending the first half at one goal each. Pakistan then started the second half on a rousing note, taking a one-goal advantage but India bounced back in the final quarter and wrapped up the proceedings with a thrilling win. With this India also won the bronze medal at the ACT 2021.
In the other semifinal, South Korea beat Pakistan 6-5. India now looks to return home with the bronze medal after having beaten Pakistan 3-1 in the group match earlier. At halftime, it is 1-1. Pakistan also created some promising attacks, only to be thwarted by India’s defence led by Shilanad Lakra. And that is the end of Q1. Nothing separates the two teams. Harmanpreet helped India take the early lead, but Afraz made it with 1-1 with a smart goal beaking Krishna Pathak. India enjoyed possession for the most part of Q1 and had better circle penetration.
Three-time champions India kick-started their tournament on a high with one draw and two wins to consolidate top position in the points table. Unfortunately, Manpreet Singh’s men were stunned 3-5 by Japan in the second semi-final on Tuesday. They will now look to grab a third-place finish at the hockey tournament. Meanwhile, Pakistan lost to South Korea in another semi-final match in a 5-6 thriller earlier on Tuesday. India needs to keep their focus as they face Pakistan in the third-place match. Notably, both sides have faced each other once in the group stage with the former coming out on top in a 3-1 win.