KARACHI, 30 April 2004 — Three-time champions Pakistan lost their cool and the final as India extended their incredible unbeaten run on the international youth circuit, outclassing their top rivals 5-2 to win the 5th Junior Asia Cup here yesterday.
A huge crowd at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium watched in disbelief when India conjured up a massive 4-0 lead by the 43rd minute and then overcame a late Pakistani surge to claim what was their maiden Junior Asia Cup crown.
Prolific striker Tushar Khandker scored a hat trick while short corner specialist Sandeep Singh nailed two goals in a match that saw tempers flaring on both sides.
By winning the final India continued their unbeaten streak at the international junior stage. They have not lost a single match in 30 outings since Oct. 22. “My forwards availed their chances today and that was the biggest difference between the two teams,” said Indian coach Harindera Singh.
His Pakistani counterpart Asif Bajwa blamed his player’s lack of maturity for the defeat. “My boys showed in this match that they still have a lot to learn,” he said.
India got two goals within seven minutes in the first half and then went for the kill in the second session with a couple of more strikes to effectively seal the fate of the match in their favor.
Pakistan made a fast start to the game but were forced to apply the brakes when their most lethal forward, Tariq Aziz, was sent off in the 9th minute following a heated exchange with Indian players and that proved to be the turning point of the match.
Reduced to ten men, Pakistan gave up their attacking strategy and went into the defensive mode giving the Indians a perfect opportunity to take control. An unmarked Khandker gave India the goal they were looking for with a perfect shot in the 23rd minute.
Sandeep Singh scored off an indirect attempt to make it 2-0 four minutes before half-time.
Khandker was once again in action in just the third minute of the second session this time sending one in on a clever pass from V.S. Vinya. His third goal came just six minutes later this time with a stinging drive that touched the back of the net after brushing off goalkeeper Mohammad Iqbal’s pads.
The Pakistanis responded with a couple of effective strikes within a span of two minutes to bring a silent crown back to life. First it was Tariq Aziz who swatted home Pakistan’s opening goal in the 44th minute and then Warsi converted a short corner with a low push to make it 2-4. Stunned by the ferocious Pakistani attack for almost 20 minutes, India regrouped and reapplied pressure on Pakistan. They got the decisive fifth goal in the 63rd minute through Sandeep Singh on a penalty corner. It was Sandeep’s 16th goal, helping him to finish as the tournament’s top scorer ahead of Warsi.
Earlier, defending champions Korea made it sure that they will feature in next year’s Junior World Cup in the Netherlands with a close 2-1 finish against dangerous yet erratic Malaysia in the third position playoff.
The Koreans accumulated a 2-0 lead in the fast-paced encounter but were still kept on their toes by an agile Malaysia attack that came out with its best showing in the tournament.
The Malaysians managed to reduce the lead to 1-2 and had numerous chances of earning that elusive equalizer but a series of missed chances proved too costly for them. Korea had a huge initial advantage after taking up a 2-0 half-time lead with a short corner strike from specialist Jong Hyun Jang and a field goal by Sung Min Lee two minutes before the break.
