Golden opportunity lost

India on October 2 edged out Pakistan in a thrilling Asian Games hockey final in Incheon, South Korea, not only to win the gold medal, but also confirm a direct entry into the 2016 Olympics. The greenshirts, who were the defending champions, squandered a one-goal lead, giving their arch-rivals the chance to equalise in normal time before succumbing to pressure in the nerve-wracking penalty shootout. Pakistan had been the clear favourites to win the title, having beaten India during a group match, but nerves got the better of them during the make or break stage.

Coming second in a penalty shootout is always a cruel way of losing; however, there were phases of the game during the 60 minutes of regulation time when the match could have been closed out by the reigning champions. The forward line missed some clear chances to add to the goal tally although the defence held tight, only for goal-keeper Imran Butt to unfortunately, lose out against the expertise of the Indian strikers in the shootout. More poignant is the fact that of late, India has enjoyed supremacy over Pakistan during knockout games and finals of sporting encounters. Despite being highly skilled, Pakistani cricketers, hockey and kabaddi players, and boxers have failed to get past their resilient rivals in crucial face-offs. Indian sportsmen clearly appear to be mentally stronger during tricky situations. The Pakistan Hockey Federation —facing a severe financial crisis — had pinned its hopes on the national team winning gold in order to receive a monetary windfall. Despite the loss, our players must be commended for fighting gallantly throughout the event, not losing a single match until the final, despite not being paid their salaries for months. The amateur tag that is attached to hockey continues to plague the sport while government support for the sport is also at an all-time low. After the Incheon loss, Pakistan would need to perform exceedingly well to qualify for the Olympics or face the ignominy of missing out on two back-to-back world events, following the failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2014.

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