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Hockey: India survives late second half onslaughts to beat Pakistan 4-3
India move up to seventh in the FIH Pro League standings.
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Prabhjot Paul Singh - Wed, 24, Jun 2026
- 06:47 EDT
- 19
Manpreet Singh wins 'Player of the Match' award / FIH/olympics.com
Continuing from where they left after their last match in Rotterdam, Indian men started its final round of the FIH Pro League with a hard fought distinct 4-3 win over its arch rival and neighbour Pakistan in London on Tuesday.
With this win, third in the current edition, India moved up a spot to the seventh position while Pakistan continues at the bottom ninth position.
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Indians, after a slow start in the opening quarter, found their rhythm and went on to secure their third outright win of this Pro League season, thwarting a late scare by Pakistan. Goals from Abhishek (22’), Nilakanta Sharma (24’), Sukhjeet Singh (40’), and Rajinder Singh (52’) guided India home in the high-voltage encounter.
The match started with both teams playing cautiously and trading early penetrations into each other’s citadels.
Pakistan earned the first breakthrough in the 8th minute when Ahmad Nadeem capitalised on a penalty corner to make it 1-0. India immediately responded with aggressive attacks but struggled to find the goal-scoring difficult.
In the final minute of the first quarter, India won three consecutive penalty corners, but Pakistan goalkeeper Ali Raza stood his ground well and made fine saves against skipper Harmanpreet Singh's drag flicks, that were the nearest India came to score off those back-to-back short corners.
India turned up the heat with quick passing in the second quarter to find an equaliser. In the 22nd minute, Dilpreet Singh's powerful shot was padded away by Raza, but Abhishek quickly pounced on the rebound to make it 1-1.
Three minutes later, India won another penalty corner, where Nilakanta reacted the sharpest to the rebound and smashed the ball through the goalkeeper's legs to put India ahead 2-1.
Goalkeeper Raza then again came to the rescue of Pakistan late in the quarter, thwarting scoring attempts from penalty corners off the stick of Jugraj Singh in the 28th minute and Harmanpreet a minute later to keep the score 2-1 at halftime.
Pakistan raised its tempo in the third quarter, producing multiple circle entries, but the Indian backline held firm. Defender Amit Rohidas exhibited great composure to break up a dangerous two-on-one counter-attack led by Pakistan's Nadeem.
India then extended its lead in the 40th minute when Abhishek set up Sukhjeet inside the circle, who produced a handsome finish to make it 3-1.
The final quarter was absorbing and exciting as Pakistan pushed hard to reduce the deficit. After the Indian defence blocked back-to-back penalty corners in the 51st minute, the strikers launched a swift counter-attack to earn a PC in the 52nd minute.
In a clever deviation, Harmanpreet feigned, allowing Rajinder to fire the ball past substitute goalkeeper Waqar, to make the score 4-1.
Pakistan retaliated immediately as captain Abu Mahmood (53’) scored from a penalty-corner flick through the legs of Indian goalkeeper Suraj Karkera to make it 4-2. Jugraj missed a chance from India's 11th penalty corner in the 56th minute, setting up a tense finish.
With just 14 seconds left on the clock, Pakistan’s Moin Shakeel (60’) scored on a rebound during a penalty-corner routine to make it 4-3, but India held their nerve in the final seconds to secure a hard-fought win.
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