Ice Hockey World Cup: India shoot ‘a lot of 1’s’ to thrash Japan 8-0 in placement game | Hockey news

BHUBANESWAR: India’s silent guns finally found ammunition to shoot the fans Rourkela the disappointment of the team’s failure in the men’s division Ice Hockey World Championships the quarterfinals behind them to pack the stands once again into a giant Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium. And the Indian team responded in style by hammering 2018 Asian Games champions Japan 8-0.
It was a game of many firsts for the home team, who were knocked out of the championship race by New Zealand in the crossovers.
As It Happened: India vs Japan
Five of India’s eight goals came from penalty corners (PCs), including the skipper Harmanpreet Singh’s drag-flick managed to beat the keeper on PC for the first time in the tournament. India’s PC conversion rate was the best in five matches – 5/11.
Abhishek (36th and 44th minutes) and Harmanpreet (46th and 59th) scored two goals each while Vivek Sagar Prasad (40th), Manpreet Singh (59th) and Sukhjeet Singh (60th) joined Mandeep to score one each.
The team played like giants awoken from their slumber, pounding Japan on the counter-attack for most of the 60 minutes that had it all: PCs, PC versions, a fluid Midfield and goals.

However, the first 30 minutes were scoreless.
Mandeep Singh finally came back against the opponent he likes to score against the most. Mandeep’s name was the first on the goalscorer’s list, and his clever deflection into the goal in the 33rd minute. It opened the floodgates.
The pattern of the game did not change after that – India attacked, Japan defended. That’s how it stayed until the final whistle.
Vivek Sagar Prasad, whose selection directly for the World Cup after a long injury lay in doubt, finally managed to add some fluidity to the midfield. He set up Abhishek nicely at the end of the counter attack and Abhishek’s reverse shot hit the net for a 2-0 lead.
Like Mandeep and Abhishek, Vivek too scored his first goal in this World Cup when a ball from Harmanpreet’s flick fell on his bat and Vivek’s sharp shot rang off the board.
By now, the Indian team was having fun and almost getting beaten in front of the Japanese post. In between, with the game as open as a hockey game can be, Japan had their chances; but Indian goalkeepers PR Sreejesh and Krishan Pathak managed to keep them away from a clean sheet.
Abhishek’s reverse shot into the net then made it 4-0, while Harmanpreet breathed a sigh of relief when the drive from his stick finally beat the keeper. His first and previous PC goal came in the pool stage when the Welsh team had pulled their goalkeeper.
Japan then replaced goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa, who stood like a wall for 30 minutes before wilting under pressure in the third quarter, with Kisho Kuroda.
The dying minutes of the game were played inside Japan’s 23-yard box, with India scoring three goals within two minutes.
Manpreet Singh’s field goal, Harmanpreet’s second goal for PC and Sukhjeet making full use of another bounce off Kuroda’s pads for PC to find the goal that added to Japan’s misery.
India will now face South Africa on Saturday 9-12. in the playoffs.