Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 9 : After helping India to an outstanding 4-0 win over Pakistan, captain Harmanpreet Singh on Wednesday said that the Men in Blue need to maintain structure in its upcoming games and stay mentally strong as they gear up for semifinals clash in Asian Champions Trophy.
The Indian hockey team will next play a semifinal match against Japan in the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy on Friday.
The Indian men's hockey team beat Pakistan 4-0 to finish on top of the table at the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023 here on Wednesday. Performing in front of a roaring home audience at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, the Indian Men’s Hockey Team put on a brilliant display, dominating their opponents from the get-go.
The Indian men’s hockey team’s victory was powered by a brace from Harmanpreet (15’, 23’). While Jugraj Singh (36’) and Akashdeep Singh (55’) also scored crucial goals to put the seal on the win.
India captain Harmanpreet made sure he successfully converted a penalty corner for his team and gave Men in Blue a 2-0 lead in the first half. In the 36th minute, the Indian Men’s Hockey Team earned another penalty corner and Hardik Singh’s injection was met by Jugraj Singh who smashed into the back of the net to score the third goal.
"I always give my best shot. If I do not score then I try harder. I try hard every time I play. It is teamwork. Forwards created more chances and we managed to do well. It is about staying mentally strong. Everytime we scored goals and we try to keep doing that. The focus will be on maintaining structure and would like to play more in structure in our upcoming games," Harmanpreet Singh said in a press conference.
In the fourth quarter, India continued to dominate possession. Their fourth and final goal came in the 55th minute saw Akashdeep Singh make the most of Mandeep’s pass as he found the back of the net with relative ease.
Talking about the match against arch-rivals Pakistan, where India completely dominated 'Men in Green', Harmanpreet told ANI, "Overall match was very good. The team showed great effort."
The victory cemented India’s position on top of the table and ensures that they take on fourth-placed Japan in the semifinals, while Korea will take on Malaysia in the first semifinal encounter, on Friday.
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