Rajkumar Pal's hat-trick helped India beat Malaysia 8-1 in their third match of the men’s Asian Champions Trophy Moqi, China on Wednesday.
Besides Pal (3', 25', 33'), Araijeet Singh Hundal (6', 39') Jugraj Singh (7'), captain Harmanpreet Singh (22') and Uttam Singh (40') also contributed to India's third consecutive win of the tournament. With this win, they have consolidated their lead at the top of the points table, with nine points in three matches. Akhimullah Anuar (34') scored the lone goal for Malaysia.
Riding high on momentum after back-to-back wins, India started the game aggressively. They put Malaysia on the back foot in no time as they scored as many as three goals in the opening seven minutes of the match.
The first goal came from Pal, who showcased remarkable stickwork. Hundal doubled India’s lead by firing past the Malaysian goalkeeper into the top corner. The third goal came through Jugraj Singh's powerful drag-flick during a penalty corner routine.
Malaysia, on the other hand, took time to settle in. They survived multiple penalty corners in the following minutes of the opening quarter and began the next quarter on a positive note. They earned their first penalty corner of the match in the 18th minute, but Suraj Karkera, who was under the bar, made an easy save. India launched an immediate counterattack and earned yet another penalty corner, but the Malaysian first rusher averted the danger.
India continued to make attacking forays into the Malaysian half. They earned a series of penalty corners, with the last one being converted by Harmanpreet, making it 4-0 by the 22nd minute.
Pal found the back of the net for his second goal on a rebound off the Malaysian goalie after a shot taken by Uttam Singh inside the circle. While Malaysia made errors in defence, India were clinical in their attack taking a 5-0 lead at halftime.
The third quarter continued in a similar fashion, with the Indian team maintaining control of the game through relentless attacks. Pal went on to complete his hat-trick as he scored on a rebound off Malaysian goalkeeper who had blocked Vivek Sagar Prasad's initial shot in an open play.
Meanwhile, Malaysia sneaked into India's circle and pulled a goal back through Anuar in the next minute. However, India went on to add two more goals to their tally as Hundal scored his second goal in the 39th minute, while Uttam slotted the ball home after a chaotic penalty corner routine in the 40th minute, ending the third quarter with a massive 8-1 scoreline.
It was a quiet final quarter as India slowed their tempo, and Malaysia couldn't capitalise on the opportunity. With about six seconds remaining, India requested a video referral for a penalty corner but was unsuccessful, thus no further goals were scored in the final quarter.
Expressing delight over India's third consecutive win, player of the match Hundal said, "We want to go all through in every game, we have to win every game, that is what we plan in team meetings. We are here to win. Personally, the last two games were not up to mark, but I'm really happy that I scored today. I am getting my confidence back day by day, and I will do much better for India in the upcoming games."
India will take on Korea in their fourth match of the tournament on Thursday.
