CWG 2022: Indian men's hockey team rout hapless Canada 8-0, top Pool B
India drubbed a hapless Canada 8-0 on Wednesday (August 3) to go atop Pool B with seven points from three matches at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG 2022) in Birmingham.
Harmanpreet Singh (7', 56'), and Akashdeep Singh (37’, 60') scored a brace each. Amit Rohidas (10'), Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (20'), Gurjant Singh (27'), and Mandeep Singh (58') scored one goal each.
India will next play Wales and hope to stretch their unbeaten record in the league phase of CWG 2022.
Hardik Singh and Akashdeep Singh started on a bright note, threatening Canada's defense from the flanks. Manpreet Singh slipped an excellent pass to Lalit Kumar inside the striking circle, but the shot went just wide.
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Harmanpreet Singh put India ahead when his powerful dragflick beat the Canadian goalkeeper with ease. It was just the start of carnage.
Minutes later, Amit Rohidas broke past the Canadian defense from the left flank as he struck a powerful hit into the nets to extend India's lead to 2-0 before the end of the first quarter.
India went from strength to strength against Canada in CWG 2022
India continued threatening movements inside the circle in the early minutes of the second quarter as Canada went deep into their own half to defend their goal.
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay made it 3-0 when he scored from a rebound, off a penalty corner.
Hardik and Gurjant Singh combined well to score with the former passing the ball into the circle from the left flank and the latter pushing the ball into the nets in the nick of time as India bossed around at the lemon break.
The Canadian defense was offered no respite
After the break, India continued their onslaught, giving no respite to the Canadian defense. They attacked in numbers with Hardik Singh pressing deep inside Canada's defense.
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Akashdeep Singh then got on to the scoring sheet when he struck a snap shot from the edge of the circle into the nets.
Canada were left stranded in midfield and were unable to create too many dangerous attacks of their own inside India's circle.
Canada upped the ante in the last quarter by denying Jarmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad in quick time. However, a penalty corner opportunity got India back on to the scoring sheet with Harmanpreet timing his dragflick to perfection.
Mandeep Singh struck a missile into the nets while Akashdeep added another goal in the final seconds as India completed the massace of a hapless Canada in their third league match of CWG 2022.
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