It’s going to be a blockbuster Diwali for fans across the country as India squares off against defending champs Pakistan in the final of the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy. One can definitely expect explosive fireworks when the two Asian giants take opposite sides of the hockey field.
Nothing can get bigger than arch-rivals locking horns at the most awaited final to determine the champions of Asia.
India's Road To the Final
India started their campaign against minnow Japan in what was almost a one-sided contest. India rattled the Japanese defense finding the back of the net 10 times. The men in blue clinched a comprehensive 10-2 win over Yamasori Takahiko's side. Following the win, a confident Indian side faced gutsy South Korea in their next encounter which was a keenly contested battle resulting in a 1-1 draw.
India's next challenge came from their arch-rival Pakistan. A lot of interest was generated around the match, especially as the neighbors were facing each other for the first time since the Uri terror attack and counter surgical strikes. Like any other Indo-Pak match, this one also saw a see-saw battle where both the sides led the score board at some point during the course of the match. India pipped Pakistan 3-2 in a thrilling encounter in where the fans witnessed quality hockey action throughout the 60 minutes of on-field battle.
After a nail-biting win over Pakistan, Roelant Oltmans's boys took on a less fancied Chinese team. The blue brigade struck a flurry of goals as China's defense remained clueless throughout the match resulting in a 9-0 win.
Having qualified for the semis already, the vibrant blues took on the Malaysian Tigers in a match that would determine who would top the points table. Malaysia came into the match high on confidence having nailed defending champs Pakistan and won commanding victories over China and Japan. India had always found the Malaysian code tough to crack in previous meetings leading to many close encounters.
The advantage was definitely with the Malaysian Tigers who were playing on their home turf with thousands of fans cheering for them. The players from both the sides gave in their all, but eight-time Olympic gold medalist India proved their top billing as they clinched the thriller 2-1. India topped the points table with 13 points from five matches.
India came into the semis as the only undefeated team in the tournament having won four of their five encounters with one ending in a draw. They were pitted against South Korea, who was placed fourth in the table. As their last battle ended in a 1-1 draw, the fans were expecting a high-octane clash and neither sides disappointed them. Talwinder Singh gave India the lead in the 15th minute when he put one past the Korean defense. But the Koreans were back in the game when Seo In-Woo scored an equalizer in the 21st minute.
Much to the disappointment of Indian fans, Yang Ji-Hun's penalty stroke conversion in the 53rd minute gave the Koreans the much-needed lead in the fourth quarter. Just when the Indian fans thought it was all over for the men in blue, Ramandeep Singh struck India's second goal in the dying minutes of the game making it 2-2 pushing the match into a shootout.
The shootout was an exciting one as both the sides found the back of the net in their first four shots. India was awarded a penalty stroke after Birendra Lakra was obstructed in the last penalty of the shootout. The tournament's leading goal scorer Rupinder Pal Singh once again rose to the occasion and provided India their fifth consecutive goal in the shootout. This was followed by PR Sreejesh's brilliant save to deny Lee Dae-Yeol, handing the blue brigade a 5-4 win in the shootout, taking India to the final for the first time since 2012.
Pakistan's Road To Final
Unlike India, Pakistan had a disastrous start to the tournament going down 4-2 to hosts Malaysia in the opener. The defending champs were nowhere close to their best during the entire 60 minutes on the field with their defence leaking goals at regular intervals leding to a disappointing loss.
Khawaja Junaid's young side hardly had any time to regroup as they were up against the unpredictable South Koreans the following day. Both the teams missed a lot of golden opportunities to open the scoring. The Koreans missed as many as six penalty corners compared to Pakistan's three. When the match was heading towards a goalless draw, Abdul Khan's strike in the last quarter of the game handed Pakistan all three points.
After registering a win over Korea in the dying minutes, Pakistan had an uphill task on their hands when they faced India in a crucial encounter. The fans got their money's worth as both teams brought out the best in each other. India took the lead in the second quarter when Pardeep Mor scored in the 22nd minute. India were leading 1-0 at the end of the first half leaving Pakistan behind.
As every Indo-Pak match tends to have a twist, so did this one, when Muhammad Rizwan Sr and Muhammad Irfan Jr dismantled the Indian defense to score two consecutive goals in the 31st and 39th minute, piling pressure onto India. But the celebration of the green brigade was cut short when Rupinder Pal Singh struck an equalizer in the 43rd minute. The Pakistan defense was once again caught napping as Ramadeep Singh scored the winning goal for team India the very next minute.
Having lost two of their three matches, Pakistan was in a situation that they needed to win both of their last two encounters to make it to the semis. They were facing the Japanese which was touted to be an easy outing for the Fareed Ahmad-led side. But Japan put up a solid show, pushing the defending champs to its limits. Pakistan evaded a possible embarrassment, clinching the tie 4-3.
The 13th ranked Pakistan faced the 18th ranked China in their last group encounter. Unlike their previous match, Pakistan put up a solid show, recording a 4-0 win over the Chinese.
With nine points from five matches Pakistan finished third on the group table behind leaders India (13) and Malaysia (10). Pakistan took on Malaysia in the semis, having lost to them previously in the group stages. The mouth-watering clash offered fans a lot of memorable moments. After being tied 1-1 at the end of 60 minutes of play, a shootout was to decide which team would face India in the final. Malaysia pocketed the first two goals whereas Pakistan managed to score just one. Pakistan goalkeeper Amjad Ali proved to be a major asset for the team as he denied Malaysia's next three attempts helping Pakistan to win the shootout 3-2.
Another Indo-Pak Final: When Emotions Run Wild
No final can be any bigger than two traditional rivals facing each other at the grandest stage of Asian hockey. Pakistan, which has lost to India in the group stages, will be looking for redemption when they step onto the pitch. The rankings won’t matter nor will the previous decade’s results.
The only thought on the minds of both teams would be to win the final and return home as the 2016 Asian Champions. As with the numerous occasions in which both teams have clashed in the final before, this time too, emotions are sure to run high and wild.
Team India
Forwards: Talwinder Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Affan Yousuf.
Midfielders: Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Akashdeep Singh, Sardar Singh, S.K Uthappa, Devindar Walmiki
Defenders: Rupinder Pal Singh, Pardeep Mor, Jasjit Singh Kular, Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh, Surender Kumar
Goalkeepers: P R Sreejesh (C), Akash Chikte
Head Coach: Roelant Oltmans
Team Pakistan
Forwards: Mohammad Irfan junior, Umar Bhutta, Arslan Qadir, Ali Shan, Ejaz Ahmad, Mohammad Rizwan senior, Abdul Haseem Khan
Midfielders: Rashid Mahmood, Tasawar Abbas, Nawaz Ashfaq, Fareed Ahmad (C), Toseeq Arshad, Mohammad Rizwan Junior
Defenders: Aleem Bilal, Ammad Shakeel Butt
Goalkeepers: Imran Butt and Amjad Ali
Head Coach: Khawaja Junaid
Match starts at 6 Pm (IST)