India beat Pakistan 5-3 in Amstelveen to reach Hockey World Cup second round
India defeated Pakistan 5-3 in Amstelveen on Wednesday, August 19, to advance to the second round of the Hockey World Cup. Hardik Singh’s 34th-minute penalty stroke proved decisive after captain Harmanpreet Singh and Abhishek had given India an early lead.
The win extended India’s unbeaten run against Pakistan to 3,842 days and came in a sold-out Wagener Stadium, where PR Sreejesh had urged his team not to be overly defensive. India had beaten Pakistan 7-1 in their last meeting and arrived needing a statement, while entering the match with just one field goal in the tournament before this game. England also progressed from Pool D after thrashing Wales 8-2.
India set the tone from the outset, pressing from the front and forcing turnovers that yielded penalty corners in the fifth minute. Harmanpreet converted one of those set pieces for a 1-0 lead (5'), and Abhishek doubled the advantage in the 11th minute with a deflected finish, taking India’s early offensive numbers to seven shots, 10 circle entries and four penalty corners by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter featured quick transitions and a burst of action. Harmanpreet picked a variation on a penalty corner in the 21st minute before finishing a rapid move himself to make it 3-0. Pakistan responded immediately: Hannan Shahid finished from a loose ball in the 22nd minute after an initial attempt took an awkward bounce off the turf and was pushed away by Suraj Karkera, with the Indian goalkeeper then stopping the follow-up. Abhishek scored again in the 24th minute, only for Sufyan Khan to convert a Pakistan penalty corner in the same minute to leave the interval at 4-2.
Midfield control became crucial in the third quarter, with Vivek Sagar Prasad prominent in transition and possession. A sequence initiated by Vivek — he spread the ball wide to Jarmanpreet, who fed Arjun Lallage — ended with Arshad fouling Lallage and the referee awarding a penalty stroke. With Harmanpreet off the field, Hardik stepped up and scored from the stroke (34'), a goal that proved to be the match-winner.
Pakistan continued to apply pressure late in the match and capitalised on a mistake in the 46th minute when Hannan Shahid scored his second of the game. India were reduced to 10 men after Arjun Lallage received a yellow card with under five minutes remaining, and Pakistan kept probing for a route back into the contest, but the score remained 5-3.
Pakistan coach Abu Baker acknowledged his side’s finish and set out objectives for the rest of the tournament, saying: "The first quarter was not good, and then we changed the structure in the 2nd half, and the boys showed good efforts to make it 3-5. So I think the start wasn't good but the end was much better," and adding, "Our first target was to be in top 8, but now it is over. The next target for 9 ot 10. So it's our focus for the next games and to get the win," said Abu Baker.
India progress to the second round where they will face the Netherlands and will also meet either Argentina or New Zealand, who play each other on Thursday in the next stage of the competition.