Three-star India overpower Argentina in FIH Pro League
Harmanpreet Singh, Lalit Upadhyay and Mandeep Singh were on target as India maintained their unbeaten record in the FIH Pro League by defeating Olympic Champions Argentina 3-0 tie Monday in Buenos Aires.
Earlier, India had won their first game of the double-header on penalties by a 3-2 scoreline . The Men in Blue were also unbeaten in the two practice matches played against the same opponents last week. Both sides will play two more practice games on April 13 and 14 before concluding the preparatory tour for the Tokyo Olympics.
The hosts were in charge right from the first whistle, frequently raiding the opposition circle. Forward Martin Ferrerio, who scored both goals for Argentina in the previous match, was on the money straight away and he, along with Macio Casellaas, kept the Indian backline busy all throughout.
For India, Krishan Bahadur Pathak made three crucial saves to deny the hosts on the occasion of his 50th international match. On the counter, Rajkumar Pal tested home goalie Juan Vivaldi on a couple of occasions.
India took the lead, courtesy Harmanpreet, whose brilliant dragflick beat Vivaldi on his left into the corner of the net from a penalty corner in the 11th minute. Argentina had better ball possession in the second quarter with more circle entries but failed to capitalize on them.
Lalit Upadhyay made it 2-0 for India
Lalit doubled India’s lead with a delightful field goal just five minutes from half-time. Lalit had set up Gurjant, whose shot was brilliantly saved by Vivaldi. The 27-year-old then pounced on to the rebound to slot it home.
The Indians kept pressuring the opposition in the third quarter too, forcing the hosts to make several mistakes. The Manpreet Singh-led side dominated the possession and made repeated circle entries, leaving the Argentine defence in all sorts of trouble.
Mandeep put the icing on the cake two minutes from time after he tucked a Shamsher singh pass into the back of the net despite losing his balance. The win helped India go one step up to fourth in the FIH Pro League standings after eight games.
“We were a lit bit asleep in the first quarter. We woke up in the second quarter. Controlling possession made the difference,” India coach Graham Reid said after the game.