Dominant India beat Poland 3-0 to notch up second win

Image
Press Trust of India Antwerp (Belgium)
Last Updated : Jun 23 2015 | 9:28 PM IST
India produced a much-improved show than their opening match as they post a facile 3-0 victory over Poland to notch up their second consecutive win in the Hockey World League Semifinals here today.
Walmiki brothers, Yuvraj (23rd minute) and Devinder (52nd) got their names on the scoresheet with flash goals and captain Sardar Singh (41st) sounded the boards with a firm reverse drive to secure India's win at the KHC Dragons Stadium.
India had launched their campaign with a 3-2 victory over France on the opening day.
Breezy conditions and 16 degree Celsius temperature seemed to be to Poland's liking and they did well to frustrate the Indian strikers in the first session, not allowing them a decent look at the goal.
Crowding their defence, the Polish players were able to frustrate the Indian strikers for long, and in turn banked on long-passes from their territory to build up some brisk counters. But in the end, the Indians found ways to break down the crowded Polish defence to pump in three goals.
It was Poland who earned th first penalty corner in the 20th minute, but captain Pawel Bratkowski's rising drag-flick was palmed away by goalkeeper P R Sreejesh.
Yuvraj opened the scoring for India as he capitalised on a lucky break in the 23rd minute, when a long diagonal ball deflected towards him off a defender's stick and he made no mistake in flicking it past the hapless goalkeeper.
India impressed little with their three penalty corners in the absence of Rupinder Singh, who is recuperating from an injury suffered in the warm-up matches here.
Sardar increased the lead in the 41st minute with a stinging reverse drive from the top of the scoring circle into the left corner of the goal.
Devindar Walmiki then scored his second goal in successive matches in his debut tournament by deflecting in a diagonal ball from Chinglensana Singh in the 52nd minutes.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jun 23 2015 | 9:28 PM IST

Next Story