Salalah (Oman): Defending champions India stormed into the semi-finals of the Junior Men’s Asia Cup 2023 after thrashing Thailand 17-0 in their last Pool-A match.
With this massive win, India has also qualified for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup to be held in December. As per the rules, the gold, silver, and bronze medal-winning teams in the Junior Asia Cup were to qualify for the World Cup, while Malaysia, being the host of the World Cup, had qualified for the tournament. All four semi-finalist teams have qualified for the World Cup after Malaysia advanced to the Asia Cup semi-finals on Sunday.
Angad Bir Singh (13th minute) opened India’s account in the match played on Sunday night, while Yogumber Rawat (17th minute), Uttam Singh (24th minute), and Amandeep Lakra (26th, 29th) scored goals in the second quarter. The lead was 5-0 before halftime.
In the third quarter, Uttam (31st) and Angad (33rd), as well as Arijit Singh Hundal (36th) and Vishnukant Singh (38th), scored a goal each for India. Just before the end of the third quarter, Bobby Singh Dhami (45th minute) converted a penalty corner to make it 10-0 for India.
Sharda Nand Tiwari (46th minute), Amandeep (47th minute), and Angad (47th minute) scored three goals in the first two minutes to seal the fourth quarter for India. Thailand’s chances of a comeback looked remote but Rohit’s (49th) goal made it even more difficult. Sunit Lakra (54th), Angad (55th), and Rajinder Singh (56th) scored a goal each before the end of the match as India won 17–0 in an outstanding display of attacking hockey.
