India staged a remarkable comeback to defeat archrivals Pakistan 4-3 in a closely contested match at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London. Despite Pakistan taking an early lead with a goal by Nadeem Ahmad in the 8th minute, India rallied back strongly. Harmanpreet Singh’s team scored twice in the second quarter and added one goal each in the third and fourth quarters to secure a lead.
However, Craig Fulton’s Pakistan side capitalized on some errors by India in the final 10 minutes, scoring twice and making the victory margin narrow, creating a tense finish. Abhishek (21st), Nilakanta Sharma (24th), Sukhjeet Singh (34th), and Rajinder Singh (52nd) were the goal scorers for India, while Abu Mahmood (53rd) and Moin Shakeel (60th) reduced the margin for Pakistan. Notably, all three of Pakistan’s goals came from penalty corners.
This win marks India’s third outright victory in the Pro League out of 13 matches, propelling them to 13 points. Harmanpreet Singh’s team has won one match in a shoot-out, drawn two, and suffered seven losses. In contrast, Pakistan has faced defeat in all 13 of their matches in the league. India’s recent dominance over Pakistan continues, with victories at both senior and junior levels since 2016.
India displayed superiority across various aspects of the game, making 30 circle penetrations compared to Pakistan’s nine and earning 11 penalty corners against Pakistan’s 8. Despite this, India only converted two penalty corners, while Pakistan managed to score three goals. The victory adds to India’s successful performance in the ongoing European tour during the last two rounds of FIH Pro League action.
In the points table, India’s win moves them to the seventh position out of nine teams, surpassing Spain with 11 points from 12 games. On the other hand, Pakistan remains at the bottom with zero points. India is set to face Pakistan once more in the current round on June 26, following their upcoming match against hosts England. The Men in Blue will conclude their FIH Pro League campaign against England on June 29 at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London.
