Mor joy for India
Johor Bahru (Malaysia), Oct 9
Skipper Mandeep Mor’s well-executed penalty corner in the 42nd minute helped the Indian junior men’s team beat Japan 1-0 and register its third successive victory at the 8th Sultan of Johor Cup here today.
The rain-affected match was stopped for a few minutes during the first quarter. India were kept at bay by a disciplined Japan. India created a few chances in the opening quarter, also winning a penalty corner, but Japan’s defence was rock solid. After a goalless first half, India upped the ante and earned two quick penalty corners. The second was converted by Mor. India had to defend well to keep their lead intact and goalkeeper Pankaj Rajak made some excellent saves.
“We stuck to the gameplan, but I am still not happy with the finishing,” India coach Jude Felix said. “There were far too many missed chances and we must improve on that. Of course, going through three matches unbeaten is a great feeling, but we cannot be happy with the way we played today. There are still two more tough matches to come and we need to be ready.”
India will take on defending champions Australia tomorrow, followed by last year’s runners-up Great Britain on Friday. India can seal a place in the final with a win over Australia. The defending champs played out a 2-2 draw with Great Britain earlier today. In the last match of the day, New Zealand scored in the last minute to pull off a thrilling 5-5 draw with hosts Malaysia. — Agencies
Sultan of johor cup Results
- India bt Japan 1-0
- Australia dr Britain 2-2
- N Zealand dr Malaysia 5-5
Table
Team W D l GD PTS
India 3 0 0 8 9
Japan 2 0 1 1 6
Australia 1 1 1 4 4
Britain 1 1 1 0 4
Malaysia 0 1 2 -6 1
N Zealand 0 1 2 -7 1
