Johor (Malaysia), Oct 17
The Indian junior men's hockey team produced a fine performance, as they defeated Malaysia 2-1 in their final pool-stage match of the ongoing Sultan of Johor Cup 2025 in Johor, Malaysia, on Friday. The win takes India into the final of the Sultan of Johor Cup 2025, where they will face Australia.
Playing against Malaysia, India opened the scoring through Gurjot Singh (22'), while Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (48') scored the winner. For Malaysia, Naaveenesh Panicker (43') found the back of the net.
With one eye on qualification for the final, the Indian junior men's hockey team started on the front foot against Malaysia. The Indian forwards looked sharp and were attacking in waves, putting the hosts under pressure. Malaysia, however, did not sit back and attack, but India's defence held tight. Neither side, though, could break the deadlock by the end of the first quarter, with the teams going into the breather locked at 0-0.
Malaysia got the first attack of the second quarter early on, but right after, India roared back with a flurry of attacks and hit the crossbar as well. Malaysia were pinned back in their half, and the pressure eventually paid off, as Gurjot Singh (22') found the back of the net from a rebound off a Penalty Corner. From then onwards, India had the lion's share of the possession, and Malaysia continued to play catch-up. India went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
After the break, India came out of the blocks at a good speed, but hosts Malaysia were starting to fight back. Even though India controlled the tempo of the game for the major part of the quarter, Malaysia's efforts did turn the game on its head, as they found the equaliser. With a little over two minutes to go, Naaveenesh Panicker (43') scored to make it 1-1 and set up a thrilling final quarter.
India and Malaysia began the final quarter with a lot of enthusiasm. And it was India who got their noses out in front again, as Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (48') tapped it home from close range, giving his team a 2-1 lead. After that, the Malaysians threw the kitchen sink as they went in search of an equaliser. And even though there were a couple of good attacks for Malaysia, India, who have traditionally dominated the hosts in this competition, held on to win the contest 2-1.
India will next play Australia on 18th October at 1805 hours IST.
- IANS
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