Johor Bahru (Malaysia), 22 October 2017: The Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team started off their 7th Sultan of Johor Cup 2017 campaign with a hard fought 3-2 victory against Japan in their opening match of the tournament here today at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium. Dilpreet Singh (11’, 53’) and Sukhjeet Singh (41’) scored the goals for India while Kyohei Ogawa (23’, 31’) scored a brace for Japan.

India started their opening match of the campaign on a bright note as they displayed a good shape, and were constantly attacking Japan in the first quarter. It was in the 11th minute that India’s efforts were rewarded with a goal as they scored through Dilpreet Singh after the Japanese defence failed to clear the ball.

In the second quarter, Japan fought back into the match as they gained control of the possession. They were awarded a penalty corner in the 23rd minute when the ball hit the foot of an Indian player inside their circle. Japan’s Kyohei Ogawa converted the PC as he brought the teams level on 1-1 after the second quarter.

The Japanese had a good rhythm to their play going into half-time and they maintained it at the start of the third quarter when Kyohei Ogawa scored his second of the match through a field-goal in the first minute after the restart to give Japan a 2-1 lead in the 31st minute. However, the young Indian team showed their character in the latter part of the third quarter when they struck back through a penalty corner in the 41st minute to level the scores at 2-2. It was Sukhjeet Singh who got onto the score-sheet as he brought back confidence within the Indian team.

Going into the fourth quarter, India seemed to control the game and kept looking for the third goal which would help them register a win in their first match of 7th Sultan of Johor Cup 2017. The dominant performance in the last quarter by the Indian team was rewarded when Dilpreet Singh popped up again inside the circle to score his second of the match in the 53rd minute which gave India a morale-boosting 3-2 win over the Japanese.

More News

view All
Herman Kruis conducts Coaching Workshop on Modern Techniques & Grassroots Development with leading hockey academy coaches

Herman Kruis conducts Coaching Workshop on Modern Techniques & Grassroots Development with leading hockey academy coaches

Hockey India High Performance Director Herman Kruis on Thursday hosted a Coaching Workshop on Modern Techniques of Coaching & Grassroots Development with leading hockey academy coaches at the Hockey India office here. The focus of the meeting was on enhancing grassroots development and charting out a comprehensive strategy for the advancement of hockey in India.

Read More
Hockey India congratulates PR Sreejesh on being appointed Co-Chair of the FIH Athletes Committee

Hockey India congratulates PR Sreejesh on being appointed Co-Chair of the FIH Athletes Committee

The International Hockey Federation, on Wednesday, announced the appointment of the new FIH Athletes Committee, to be led by Co-Chairs Camila Caram of Chile and PR Sreejesh of India. While Camila Caram has been assigned Co-Chair and Athletes Committee Representative in the Executive Board, Indian Men's Hockey Team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh is the Co-Chair and he will lead the planning and meetings along with Caram.

Read More