Pakistan crash out of ACT with big loss against India

KARACHI: India threw Pakistan out of the Asian Champions Trophy with a 4-0 drubbing in the last league match in Chennai on Wednesday.

Pakistan needed to avoid a defeat by two goals or more to secure a place in the semifinals. Harmanpreet Singh netted two goals on PCs. Jugraj Singh and Akashdeep Singh scored one goal each for India. Pakistan did not play well in the match overall except in the early moments of the first quarter when as a result of a good attack Pakistani forwards were successful in scoring a goal but it was not allowed and converted into a PC, but drag flicker Sufiyan Khan failed to score.

India, who had already confirmed their place in the semifinals, finished at the top of the points table with 13 points from five matches. India had entered this game as favourites. Harmanpreet Singh led from the front and proved a dangerous man for Pakistan and scored two goals on penalty corners, exhibitioning why he is regarded as one of the finest drag flickers in the world.

Pakistan forwards tried their best and got four PCs but on no occasion were they successful. Pakistan's poor defense and weak goalkeeping kept them under pressure throughout the match.

While Harmanpreet Singh's brace came in the first half, Gujraj Singh scored for India in the third quarter to put India 3-0 ahead and take the match completely out of reach of Pakistan. Mandeep Singh then put his name on the scoring sheet with less than 5 minutes to go in the match. Pakistan will face China for the fifth place now.