India beats Great Britain 4-2 in shoot-out of Pro League

LONDON: India defeated Great Britain 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out to earn a bonus point after both sides were locked at 4-4 at the end of the regulation time in a high-scoring second leg FIH Pro League match here on Saturday.

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh (7th minute), Mandeep Singh (19th), Sukhjeet Singh (28th) and Abhishek (50th) were the goal scorers for India.

Sam Ward (8th, 40th, 47th, 53rd) was the star for the home team scoring all the four goals.

The win ensured a bonus point for India but it is still lying second in the standings below Great Britain with 24 points from 12 games.

Great Britain is atop the table with 26 points from 11 matches.

India had earlier lost 4-2 to Great Britain here in the first leg before thrashing Belgium 5-1. India will next travel to Eindhoven, Netherlands to play the host on June 7 in the Europe leg of its FIH Pro League campaign.

Great Britain started on an attacking note and had the first shot at the goal in the third minute through Phil Roper but it was saved by India goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak.

It was a brilliant set up by Rupert Shipperley to get Roper in a one-on-one position for the shot but Pathak showed great reflexes.

Three minutes later, Great Britain secured back-to-back penalty corners but once again Pathak came to India’s rescue, saving both of them.

Mandeep then earned a penalty corner for India a minute later and skipper Harmanpreet’s low dragflick sounded the post past Great Britain goalie David Ames to hand the visitor the lead.

India’s joy was short-lived as Ward converted a penalty corner in the very next minute to level the scores.

Both the teams continued to play at a frantic pace in the second quarter but it was India which surged ahead again through Mandeep, who hammered the ball into the goal from Hardik’s Singh brilliant pass.

Two minutes from half time, Sukhjeet made it 3-1 in favour of India after being fed by Hardik as the visitor went into the breather with twogoal cushion.