Asian Champions hockey: Pakistan suffer shootout heartbreak
The final was everything fans hoped it would be as the two arch-rivals battled it out till the penalty shootouts before India overcame Pakistan 4-2 to clinch the first Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos, China.
The epic battle saw the two teams struggle for a goal and go at full-time deadlocked at 0-0.
Even the 15-minute extra-time failed to yield a result, taking the match to penalty shootouts that was held under altered rules with the striker taking on the goal-keeper from a 23-metre line for eight seconds.
However, it was India who emerged victorious after a better display in the breaker.
Meanwhile, Pakistan dominated the game in regulation time but could not find a way through the Indian defence.
Pakistan seemed to be missing their penalty-corner specialist and world’s leading goal-scorer Sohail Abbas as the Asian Games champions failed to convert a single penalty-corner out of eight chances created in the regulation time. In contrast, their opponents just managed to earn a single penalty-corner.
India came back strongly in the shootouts by beating goal-keeper Imran Shah four times through captain Rajpal Singh, Danish Mujtaba, Yuvraj Walmiki and Sarwanjit Singh while missing just once.
The Greenshirts managed two goals through Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Wasim while Shafqat Rasool and Haseem Khan’s misses cost them the trophy.
‘We were unlucky’
Pakistan manager Khwaja Junaid felt the team deserved the victory after the way they played the final.
“There was a clear factor of misfortune,” Junaid told The Express Tribune from Ordos. “We deserved to win because we kept India under pressure throughout the match,” said Junaid.
However, the Olympian was a pleased man after the team’s impressive run. “The final can be anybody’s game and our loss is not a matter of concern.
“Reaching the final with this young team is itself a big achievement and we are focusing on the positives since we have found various team combinations.”
PHF satisfied
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) praised the team’s show in the tournament.
“Losing on shootouts is not alarming,” the PHF’s Associate Secretary Rana Mujahid told The Express Tribune. “The PHF is satisfied with the overall performance of this young team for which the selection committee was heavily critcised.”
However, Mujahid said that the PHF would assess its decision after getting the tour report by the team management.
“We will know after the report if we missed the seniors or whether we have found a good combination.”
Samiullah hails performance
Olympian Samiullah Khan was content with the team’s performance saying the Greenshirts fought hard in the final.
“It’s always upto luck after the game goes past full-time,” said the former captain.
“The scoreline suggests the team worked hard and the performance was also impressive.”
Pillay says win will lift India
Legendary Olympian Dhanraj Pillay of India felt the Asian Champions Trophy title will lift the team’s confidence ahead of tougher tasks.
“It’s not a major title but still a confidence-boosting win,” said Pillay. “Both the teams were equal in terms of performance before India edged out Pakistan on the penalty shootouts.”
Ex-India captain Dhanraj Pillay
“It’s not a major title but still a confidence-boosting win. Both the teams were equal in terms of performance before India edged out Pakistan in the penalty shootouts.”
Olympian Samiullah Khan
“It’s always up to luck after the game goes past full-time. The scoreline suggests the team worked hard and the performance was also impressive.”
PHF assoc secy Rana Mujahid
“We’re satisfied with the performance of this young team for which the selection committee was heavily criticised. We’ll find out soon if we have found a good combination.”
Pakistan manager Khwaja Junaid
“We were unlucky. We deserved to win because we kept India under pressure throughout the match. But reaching the final is itself a big achievement.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 12th, 2011.
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i am an indian, so i am ecstatic over india's win in the final. but i have also been a lifelong fan of pakistan's hockey team. so i am doubly ecstatic that pakistan is the number two ranked hockey nation in asia. ps - in the 80s i saw the sublime, poetic, god like hasan sardar play against india @ delhi's shivaji stadium. sardar helped pakistan defeat india in that match.
ps - in the 90s i saw one of hockey's greatest forward - paksitan's shahbaz sr. play in delhi. another memory which i hope never leaves my brain.
ps - thanks pakistani hockey for showing me what true beauty looks like and what ecstasy feels like.
an indian fan .
I felt ashamed when I skimmed through the whole lot of sports channels being telecast here...not a single channel was showing our NATIONAL SPORT...
Btw Pakistan had sort of a B team on the cards but still the way they played throughout the tourney deserves the highest praise...Congratz boys!!!
better luck next time, u guys really played well
@Maxwell: @Pundit: You are right Pundit n Maxwell, we should work together to regain our lost glory in Hockey.
This is great victory and i think this is good for the future of INDIAN HOCKEY . .
@Ranjit, bro dont be surprised. It is normal in Pakistan. Media does not talk objectivity, it is only self glorification.
As an Indian, I wish to congratulate Pakistan as a team for playing wonderfully well in this tournament. Wish the old golden days of hockey return, when India and Pakistan dominated the world hockey. Sadly, it is languishing now.
Hope people in both countries pick up lost threads and give this game honour and respect back, that it gave us in those years...Well done Pakistan. Bad luck this time...wish you better luck next time...Wish you lots of peace.
Well played guys and mercifully on a India- Pakistan topic there are no hateful comments .
Sub Continent Hockey Wins....I suggest more India Pakistani tournaments
Let's build Hockey and avoid the politics of Cricket!
@Ranjit: Sabu Varkey is a Malayali who had represented India regularly in the late nineties and early 2000s. Manuel Fredricks and George Ninan are also Malayalis who had represented India in the seventies and eighties respectively.
Someone had to win! So India won.I am sure both teams played well !
Congrats to India! Pakistan team played excellent as well. Hoping for a win next time.
I am a bit surpised about the article. The article is about the match - which is a final and the most crucial match. In the article you have PHF and Junaid, the Pakistani Manager and everybody and their uncle's name mentioned but you don't even have the name of the Man of the Match - Sreejesh, the Indian Goalkeeper. I don't know. Maybe in Pakistan, the administrators are more important than players.
Just little bit of trivia abouth the Man of the Match - Sreejesh. By the way - Sreejesh Ravindran, the Indian goalkeeper, is from South Indian state of Kerala. He is a rookie, with not a whole lot of International experience. Kerala is sports oriented state but the sports they are crazy about is Football/Soccer, volley-ball, athletics. Cricker and hockey does not have a whole lot of following. Sreejesh might even be the 1st Malayali/Keralite in the Indian hockey team.
Lets be honest folks. India won because of Indian goalkeeper - Sreejesh. He saved 2 Penalty strokes and didn't allow Pak to convert any of the 8 penalty corners. Otherwise, Pakistan team was better than Indian team.
@Thomas: True, because Pakistani blood never believes in lossing.
Anyways.......it must be a good match. Good to see both the teams rising up after a decade of lost glory. Would love to see the contest revive between both the past champs. Chakde India, Mera Bharat Mahan!
Being decided with penalty strokes means both team fought till the end. Congrats India, Good luck Pakistan for next time. The sad part is no Asian team is good when it comes to competing with teams outside Asia.
Luckless Pakistan?!!!!!. One team loose and the other team wins in a sports game. Get over it. What would have been the heading if India had lost?. Amazing!! I guess Pakistan is supposed to win every game, every war and every contest!!!
It must be RAW behind this game...
Rippa, Pak played well. India Although win,wao...congratez GOOD LUCK PAKISTAN
well played by both teams, hockey matches should be broadcasted. better luck next time pakistan....
Bad Luck
Next time.....................
@Rify (India ): Even I am not able to see the match on any channel.
tlll yesterday, the articles published on this topic was atleast half page long, with tons of jingoism and empty nationalism oozing out from experts and viewers both. Where is the group now? We are too busy foolishly to shout big mouth before the actual event, and when we fail we chicken out... be it sports, economy, politics, military, diplomacy, and as a society.... we seem to be all noise but very little substance where it matters.
No worries guys. We played very well. It was India's day. So look ahead Keep ur focus on gold in olympics.
Congrats..... Chakdey! Team India...!!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!!!!!!!! :( :(
Looks like India was tough enough to handle the pressure.
Bad luck and no coverage for Hockey
86 channels and not a single one telecasting national sport's final country is participating in. Really?
India rocks. well played pak team.
ohhhhh........anyways.....If you fought hard....i still support you guys!!....sorry i couldn't see the match!!
Congrats men in blue..Better luck next time Team Pakistan..:))).. what a shame ? there isnt any channel that are open to telecast..atleast not open in Chennai..