Pakistan Fall Short Against India Despite Late Fightback
News Desk/Geo News
Islamabad: India held off a spirited late comeback from Pakistan to secure a dramatic 4-3 victory in the FIH Pro League at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Tuesday.
Despite Pakistan taking an early lead through Ahmad Nadeem in the eighth minute from a penalty corner, India gradually took control of the contest. Pakistan goalkeeper Ali Raza produced a series of impressive saves to preserve the advantage during the opening quarter, frustrating India despite multiple penalty-corner opportunities.
The momentum shifted in the second quarter when Abhishek levelled the score with a superb field goal in the 22nd minute. Just a minute later, Nilakanta Sharma completed the turnaround, giving India a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.
India continued to dominate possession after the break and extended their advantage in the third quarter through Sukhjeet Singh, who finished a well-worked move after evading the Pakistani defence and goalkeeper.
Rajinder Singh appeared to put the match beyond reach early in the final quarter by converting a penalty corner to make it 4-1. Pakistan, however, refused to surrender. Abu Bakar Mahmood responded almost immediately with a penalty-corner goal, while Moin Shakeel converted another in the final minute to set up a tense finish.
India ultimately held on for the narrow victory, earning their third win of the FIH Pro League campaign and moving up to seventh place in the standings with 13 points.
For Pakistan, the defeat extended a miserable run to 13 consecutive losses in the nine-team competition. Still without a point this season, the Green Shirts remain rooted to the bottom of the table, and the result officially confirms their relegation from the FIH Pro League.
