JAKARTA: Defending champions India were on Thursday knocked out of the Asian Games gold medal contention and denied a direct entry into the 2020 Olympics, with Malaysia again proving to be their Achilles heel in the men’s hockey semifinals.
The Malaysians handed India a heartbreaking 6-7 loss in sudden death after an exhausting shoot-off. India will play eight-time champions Pakistan in the bronze medal play-off. Pakistan lost 0-1 to Japan in the other semifinals.
Malaysia, who had beaten India in the last-four stage eight years ago at Guangzhou, made their wasteful opponents pay for their mistakes, both in regulation time and shoot-off. Both teams were tied at 2-2 after 60 minutes. India conceded a late goal to push the match into shoot-off after Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar had scored from penalty corners in the 33rd and 40th minute.
Malaysia struck through Faizal Saari (39th min) and Muhammad Razie, who found the all-important equaliser less than two minutes before the end of regulation time. In the shoot-off, it was anyone’s game and Malaysia handled the nerves better to make their second Asiad final. India, who had scored a record 76 goals in the group stage, were left stunned after S V Sunil missed his attempt in the sudden death.
Only Akashdeep and Harmanpreet scored in the first five shots of the shoot-off while Manpreet Singh, Dilpreet Singh and Sunil faltered. Goalkeeper P R Sreejesh kept India in the game as he only let in two goals from Muhammad Ashari and Fitri Saari. Tengku Ahmad, Faizal Saari and Muhammad Azuan missed the target for Malaysia. In sudden death, Malaysia’s all five attempts were successful while India scored the first four before Sunil cracked under pressure. Earlier, India were on the offensive from the word go, earning a penalty corner in the first minute of the match. But Harmanpreet had his flick saved by the Malaysian custodian Kumar Subramaniam.
Four minutes later, it was Malaysia’s turn and dragflicker Muhammad Ashari even found the net, only for the goal to be disallowed by the video umpire as a foul was committed. India penetrated the opposition circle at will. A flurry of penalty corners, in total four, came India’s way in the opening quarter but they were unable to convert. Against the run of play, Malaysia, earned a couple of penalty corners in the 13th minute, but P R Sreejesh was up to the task at the goal. (PTI)
