France stuns India in its opener

Skipper Timothee Clement (1st, 23rd and 32nd minute) netted a hat-trick while Benjamin Marque (7th) and Corentin Sellier (48th) were the other goal-scorers for World No.26 France. Sanjay (15th, 57th and 58th) converted three penalty corners for India, with Uttam Singh (10th) scoring the other goal for the host in a losing cause.

France stunned India in the first minute, when a lazy defence was caught off guard by Clement. The Frenchmen punched above their weight and continued to attack the Indian citadel, which resulted in a second goal through a field strike from Marque.

Down 0-2, India responded within three minutes and pulled a goal back with a field hit by Uttam. The home team equalised at the stroke of the first quarter, courtesy of a penalty corner that was converted by Sanjay. But, France restored its lead in the 23rd minute as Clement found the back of the net from a PC.

Two minutes into the third quarter, France extended its advantage since it got three successive penalty corners, the last of which was converted by Clement. In the 48th minute, France made it 5-2 as Sellier found his way into the scorecard. Sanjay netted two more goals through PCs in the 57th and 58th minutes, but India couldn’t level the scores at the end.