India defeat Japan 1-0 in Asia Cup Hockey; win bronze
The Indian hockey team were up against Japan in the bronze medal match of the Asia Cup hockey on Wednesday. On Tuesday, there was a 4-4 draw against South Korea. After this match, their hopes of the final ended and the team went on to play against Japan for the bronze medal. In a tough competition, the Indian team won this medal by winning against Japan.
India and Japan were placed in the same pool. In the league match between the two teams, Team India was defeated by 2-5. In round two, the Indian team avenged the loss and registered a 2-1 win against Japan. This was the third clash between the two teams in the competition where India won the bronze medal after winning 1-0.
Buoyed by the previous win against Japan, India played an aggressive game from the start. The result came in the form of a goal in the sixth minute of the first quarter. Rajkumar scored the first goal against Japan to give India the lead. There were no goals after this in this quarter and Team India ended the quarter with an edge.
In the second quarter, Manjeet of the Indian team, showing a more aggressive game, came in the eyes of the referee and got a green card as a result. Japan did not score or score any goals in this quarter. India maintained a 1-0 lead. The game of the third quarter also ended without a goal and Japan’s team went ahead in the match after trailing 0-1. The result of the fourth quarter also remained the same as the first three and the Indian team defeated Japan 1-0 to claim the bronze medal.
