Golden goal puts India in hockey finals
Centre-forward Rajiv Mishra's golden goal propelled India to a 4-3 win over defending champions Germany in the semifinal of the 6th Junior World Cup hockey tournament at the National Stadium, Milton Keynes, on Friday.
The Indians can take credit for a spectacular effort against the defending champions that saw them bounce back, first, from a two-goal deficit, then pull back from 3-2 down to restore parity at full time, before producing the golden goal that pipped the holders.
At the start of the game, the Indians looked rather leaden footed, and overawed by the occasion. And it didn't help that in the sixth minute, Germany shot into the lead, with Dirk Bruse cashing in on a defensive lapse by Baljit Singh Saini.
The Indians gradually began asserting themselves and forged some superb moves, but neither Baljit Singh Chandi nor Rajiv Mishra could find the net from open positions, after their colleagues had breached the German defensive wall. Around this point, lax refereeing from Belgian umpire Eirc Denis saw the Indians miss out on a penalty stroke award, when a defender first pushed, then stick-checked Chandi as he was cutting into the circle.
The Germans for their part concentrated on rapid counterattacks, fast off the ball running and sudden raids to harry the Indian defense. Dilip Tirkey and Saini in this period produced a couple of superb saves on the line, but in the 31st minute the Germans broke through again, when yet another lightning counterattack produced a penalty corner, for Sascha Reinelt to push home past goalkeeper Teja Singh.
The Indians thus went in at lemon time down by two goals to none.
"At half time," explained coach Bhaskaran, "I told the boys it really didn't matter how many goals we conceeded - what mattered was to keep scoring. So I pushed centrehalf Rajesh Chauhan to the forward line, going in for the second half with six forwards, and that ploy seemed to have worked."
India came back looking a totally different side, and rammed home two goals in the first six minutes. Rajesh Chauhan's cross off a superb run by Mishra bounced high off a defender and Chandi tapped the deflection home. Shortly thereafter, a brilliant move saw Tirkey feed Chauhan who in turn swept the ball to Chandi. The forward stepped into the circle, passed rapidly to Mishra who in turn put Harbajan in possession. The last named had only the advancing goalkeeper to beat with a neat flick for the equaliser.
Stung, the Germans increased the tempo and, observers indicate, were rather lucky to be given a penalty corner for an obstruction on Draguhn just inside the 25-yard area. Klink converted to put Germany back in the lead with eight minutes left to play.
The Indians held their nerve, however, and again it was a Mishra move that saw Harbajan in possession in a highly advantageous possession. The forward, who had a good day in the field, slammed it into the boards to see the score read 3-3 at full time. And almost immediately after the whistle blew to signal the start of extra time, Mishra capped a fine day in the field by diving headlong to push home a cross from the right by Senthil -- the golden goal, and India for the first time in its history was into the final of the Junior World Cup.
"I had told the boys that 35 minutes was more than enough time to score two, even three goals if they attacked hard enough. My boys went out there and fought bravely and I am very proud of them," Bhaskaran, visibly elated by the result, said.
Indian Hockey Federation president K P S Gill, who disregarded security considerations to race out onto the field to congratulate the Indian side, enthused: "To come back when 2-0 down and then again from 3-2 down, and win against the defending champions is a remarkable achievement. All credit to the boys."
Agencies
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