CWG 2018 men’s hockey, India v Pakistan, as it happened: Pakistan fight back to hold India 2-2
Dilpreet Singh and Harmanpreet Singh were on target for India while Irfan Jr and Mubashar found the net for Pakistan.
It was a tense ending to a game of two halves. While India scored twice in the first 30 minutes, while Pakistan did the same in the last half an hour.
Score: India 2 (Dilpreet Singh 13th minute, Harmanpreet Singh 20th) vs Pakistan 2 (Muhammad Irfan Jr 39th, Ali Mubashar 60)
Day three at CWG 2018: Follow live updates of all the action here.
Not sure what will be going on in the mind of both the coaches. Roelant Oltmans knew enough about the Indian boys and told his team to continue with the game plan. India definitely wilted under pressure in the second half.
This is how the group looks after India’s first match. They now play Wales on Sunday and will need three full points to give their campaign an impetus.
Apart from the obvious mistakes by the India team made in the second half, the talking point will also be the controversial decisions from the video umpire. Even former India skipper Viren Rasquinha was surprised with the decision.
“Both the referral decisions were very surprising. To my eyes, I have been trying to watch this as closely, there was no foot. Very, very controversial decisions. I think the video umpire was watching something else.”
FULL TIME: INDIA 2 PAKISTAN 2 India has let that slip from their hand. After leading 2-0 at half time, they allowed Pakistan to get back in the game with some nervy display and the drama in the last seven seconds ended with a goal from Mubashar.
GOAL: 60th minute: Pakistan once again go for video referral and are granted a penalty corner. And Ali Mubashar beats Sreejesh in the right hand corner from the penalty corner to level the scores.
60th minute: What drama there in the final minute. Pakistan goes for video referral with just 7.3 seconds left in the match and they get an penalty corner. Its the last play of the match and the entire Pakistan team would be on that circle.
58th minute: That was beautiful move from the middle with Aakashdeep passing the ball to Mandeep Singh but his reverse hit is wild and off the mark.
57th minute: India has finally managed to slow down the game a bit as Pakistan hasn’t managed to penetrate the opposition circle for a minute and half now. They now need to keep their composure to see this match out/
52nd minute: Pakistan gets back to back penalty corners. But thankfully danger is cleared for the time being. But the Indians are losing the ball too easily even inside their own half.
51st minute: PR Sreejesh keeps India in the game with two brilliant saves. First was in a one on one situation with the striker and then a dive to his right. But Pakistan ends up getting a penalty corner.
50th minute: India needs to slow down the game a little and find their composure. Pakistan is playing at a frenetic pace now and in the attempt to match their opponents in the end to end scuffle, Indians are losing the ball too often.
48th minute: India needs to regroup quickly. Coach Marijne had focused on keeping shape and not panicking during the break. But India players seem to be finding it difficult as Pakistan have raised the tempo and are attacking from both flanks.
End of third quarter: India go into the break with a 2-1 lead. But Pakistan has come back strongly in this quarter with some determined attacking while Indians were guilty of holding the ball too long.
44th minute: That’s yet another fantastic save by Imran Butt in the Pakistan goal. Had it not made that interception Chinglensana could have finished that move.
42nd minute: India has responded well with two quick attacks on the Pakistan goal. But Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt ensures that they don’t fall behind any further
GOAL: 39th minute: INDIA 2 PAKISTAN 1 Irfan Jr was at a perfect place for a sliding deflection after Muhammad Dilbir came up with a fine run from the left.
34th minute: Mandeep Singh makes a strong run from the left flank and is brought down by Irfan and its a penalty corner for India. But India wastes the opportunity.
HALF TIME: India was clearly the dominant team in the first half. Though Pakistan came back strong at the end of the second quarter as they need to do something special to make a comeback from a 2-0 deficit. But Sreejesh was brilliant under the bar and ensured that the team goes into the break without conceding a goal.
28th minute: Pakistan had build good pressure in the last five minutes and earned three penalty corners. but Sreejesh did a very good job under the bar to ensure that India maintains a 2-0 lead.
26th minute: Its yet another penalty corner for Pakistan. They go for a variation and Sreejesh makes a brilliant save diving to his right.
26th minute: PR Sreejesh saves the shot and Kothajit Singh does well to push it out
25th minute: Its the first penalty corner for Pakistan as Rupinder bring down Rizwan senior. The ball has hit the foot of an Indian defender during the ensuing penalty corner.
24th minute: India came close to scoring again. But this time the Pakistan custodian was alert to tap the ball out
22nd minute: Tempers are a bit flared. Something happened off the ball. Yellow card being given to Aakashdeep and a Pakistan player.
GOAL 20th minute: INDIA 2 PAKISTAN 0 India gets another penalty corner in quick succession and this time Harmanpreet Singh does not make a mistake.
20th minute: That’s a second penalty corner for India. Can they convert it and make it 2-0?
16th minute: That’s a yellow card for Pakistan’s Muhammad Atiq. Pakistan now will be with 10 men for some time now.
End of first quarter: INDIA 1 Pakistan 0. India has got their early goal which coach Marijne had spoken about. The momentum was well and truly with the Indians in the last few minutes and they could have found the second.
15th minute: India earns its first penalty corner. Can they make it 2-0 here.
GOAL 14th minute: INDIA 1 Pakistan 0 Rupinder Pal Singh intercepts the ball and gives it to SV Sunil, whose angular pass inside the circle is well collected by Dilpreet Singh, who finishes it off in style.
13th minute: Manpreet Singh hits the ball inside the striking circle and Dilpreet Singh is in the right position but it has hit his leg
9th minute: Green card for India’s Sumit for a push from behind on a Pakistan striker. He will sit out for 2 minutes
5th minute: The Indian midfield controlling the game well. But there hasn’t been a really incisive move that can lead to a goal.
2nd minute: Its a fast and furious start to the game. India had their chance immediately at the other end but the Pakistan custodian was alert to the threat.
1st minute: Both teams have already managed to penetrate the opposition circle but both the moves go a begging.
Pakistan had missed the last Commonwealth Games due to an administrative error as entry was sent on time. But they are in Gold Coast for the 2018 edition and we are about to start.
9.59 am: Both teams walk out to a big applause from the spectators who have as expected trooped in large numbers.
This is how the team’s stack up in Pool B so far. Pakistan has drawn their opener against Wales while India will begin their campaign today
9.53 am: Both the teams are out on the field warming up for the all important clash. It would be a battle of nerves for the young Indian stars who have graduated to the senior team and the team management has shown a lot of faith in them.
Read here about the role coach Marijne wants them to play
Battle of arch-rivals, battle of coaches
09:45 am: India vs Pakistan in any sporting event leads to a rise in stakes and tempers invariably flare up. As the two traditional rivals clash in the Commonwealth Games men’s Pool B clash in Gold Coast, it isn’t just the heated battle on the field that’s become the talking point.
The spotlight will also be on the touchline. Former India coach Roelant Oltmans will be stationed in the opposition camp for the first time after being sacked by Hockey India. And it will be a test for India coach Sjoerd Marijne as he comes up against a man who has more than just a fair idea of how the Indian players operate.
(READ MORE: All Commonwealth Games stories in one place)
The two teams squared off most recently at last year’s Asia Cup in Bangladesh where India claimed the honour and this would Oltmans’ first major outing with the Pakistan team, having taken over the reigns for the second time last month.
09:40 am: Hello all and welcome to the live blog of the Indian men’s hockey team’s first match at Gold Coast, 2018. And it’s INDIA v PAKISTAN! What better way to kick things off with a storied (but recently one-sided) rivalry.
For all other events’ updates, check out our live blog of day three right here.