Sumeet’s hat-trick seals dramatic win for Army Red

CHENNAI: In a closely contested match between the Controller and Auditor General of India versus the Indian Army Red, the latter held its nerve to win the game 3-2.

It was a commanding start in the game for Indian Army, as it kept its opponent at bay and dominated most of the first quarter, with Manpreet Singh holding the midfield for the Army and Paramjit Singh holding the defence intact. Subhash Sanga had the opportunity late in the first quarter to break the deadlock in favour of the Indian Army, but his shot went in vain.

Vishal Singh gave Controller and Auditor the lead in the game courtesy of a penalty strike, which he converted comfortably.

Sumeet Pal Singh was in the thick of things for the Indian Army deep inside the third quarter of the game; he scored the equaliser and also scored another goal at the 39th minute to give the Indian Army a 2-1 lead. Controller and Auditor General found a way back into the game with Deepak Singh scoring the equaliser. Controller and Auditor General threw a flurry of attacks in search of a lead, but Sumeet Pal Singh sealed the win for Army Red with a goal in the 53rd minute. Controller and Auditor General received three penalty corners towards the end of the game, but Army Red held its nerve to bag all three points going into Thursday’s game against Indian Air Force.

Speaking to DT Next after the match, Indian Army Red’s player Paramjit Singh praised their coach, Rajesh Kumar, for his motivation that brought them back into the game after conceding an early goal. Paramjit also emphasised how important this victory was for the team after it lost its opener against Punjab National Bank. Speaking about their upcoming game against the Indian Air Force, Paramjit says that the team will work on the mistakes it made on Tuesday to ensure they don’t repeat it again and strongly believes that the team will win against the IAF and also qualify for the semifinals thereafter.

Speaking about the Indian Hockey Team at the Asian Games, Paramjit says, “the national team has improved a lot, and it also triumphed at the Asian Champions Trophy held here, so I’d expect them to go on the stronger foot and hopefully win gold at Asiad.” Paramjit also praised Neeraj Chopra for his recent win at the World Athletics Championship and added that the Indian Army family and the entire nation is proud of him.