Indian Men register their first victory in Asian Champions Trophy Hockey

Akashdeep Singh of India

After facing two consecutive defeats in the tournament, it was a cherishing day for the Indian Men’s Hockey team as they sealed their first victory in the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey tournament by defeating Oman 3-0 on Tuesday 5th November, 2013.

The young Indian team was on the field against the World No.36 side – Oman at the Green Stadium, Kakamigahara in Japan. The Indians opened their account in the 19th minute of the game when forward Akashdeep Singh penetrated the Oman defence and scored a brilliant goal to open the Indian account.

After 11 minutes of this goal, forward Talwinder Singh converted the clever pass of midfielder Prabhdeep Singh into a successful goal for the side to take India ahead in the match by 2-0.

Indian men continued their dominance in the second-half of the match also. India got a penalty corner in the 62nd minute which was successfully converted into a goal by defender Amit Rohidas to make the score 3-0 in favour of the Indian side.

No other goal was scored in the rest phase of the match and Indian Men registered their first victory in the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2013 by defeating Oman 3-0.

Indian men had a poor start in the tournament as they lost against China by 2-0 in their first league match. They also failed against Japan in the second match and lost the encounter by 2-1.

On 7th November, 2013, the young Indian side will lock horns with the defending champions Pakistan in their next league match.

In the other two matches played on Tuesday, Pakistan defeated Malaysia by 1-0 to register their third consecutive win in the tournament while China crushed the hosts Japan by 3-1. Oman is yet to open their account in the tournament so far.

Wednesday, 6th November, 2013 will be a rest day in the tournament. On Thursday, Indian men will take on arch-rivals Pakistan. On the other side, the Indian Women will be up against the hosts Japan in their final league match of the tournament. Displaying a dazzling performance on the hockey field, the Indian women have already booked their berth in the Final of the tournament.