Hockey: India obliterate Canada 7-3 in Azlan Shah Cup; setup final date with South Korea

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India defeated Canada 7-3 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia
India defeated Canada 7-3 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia

India continued their unbeaten run in the Azlan Shah Cup tournament by obliterating Canada 7-3. Earlier, the Men in Blue picked up victories over Japan and Malaysia, with a draw against South Korea being the only blemish in what has otherwise been a perfect run in the 28th edition of the historic tournament.

India booked their place in the finals with a win over Canada (Image Credits- Azlan Shah Cup Twitter)
India booked their place in the finals with a win over Canada (Image Credits- Azlan Shah Cup Twitter)

India drew first blood in the 12th minute when drag-flicker Varun Kumar converted the first penalty corner of the game. Canada wasn’t given any breathing space in the second quarter either as Manpreet Singh scored a hat-trick to give India an insurmountable 4-0 lead heading into the lemon break.

Canada showed some signs of resurgence in the third quarter as Mark Pearson’s goal from a penalty corner helped them open their account. However, Amit Rohidas ensured the joy only lasted four minutes as he scored in the 39th minute to maintain the four-goal lead.

The fourth quarter was the most entertaining one from the fans’ perspectives as it saw a total of four goals. Fin Boorthroyd and James Wallace struck for Canada whereas Vivek Sagar and Nilakantha Sharma did the same for India.

The fulltime scoreline read 7-3 in favor of India as they begin to prepare themselves to face Poland in the last group stage fixture. Both India and South Korea have 10 points from 4 matches whereas other teams can reach a maximum of 9 points only. The final will take place on 30th March at Ipoh, Malaysia.