Hockey, Asian Champions Trophy: Rajkumar Pal nets hat-trick as India thump Malaysia
Pal scored a hat-trick while Araijeet Singh Hundal bagged a brace as India beat Malaysia in their third match.
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Rajkumar Pal's hat-trick helped India beat Malaysia 8-1 in their third match of the men’s Asian Champions Trophy Moqi, China on Wednesday.
Besides Pal (3', 25', 33'), Araijeet Singh Hundal (6', 39') Jugraj Singh (7'), captain Harmanpreet Singh (22') and Uttam Singh (40') also contributed to India's third consecutive win of the tournament. With this win, they have consolidated their lead at the top of the points table, with nine points in three matches. Akhimullah Anuar (34') scored the lone goal for Malaysia.
Riding high on momentum after back-to-back wins, India started the game aggressively. They put Malaysia on the back foot in no time as they scored as many as three goals in the opening seven minutes of the match.
The first goal came from Pal, who showcased remarkable stickwork. Hundal doubled India’s lead by firing past the Malaysian goalkeeper into the top corner. The third goal came through Jugraj Singh's powerful drag-flick during a penalty corner routine.
Malaysia, on the other hand, took time to settle in. They survived multiple penalty corners in the following minutes of the opening quarter and began the next quarter on a positive note. They earned their first penalty corner of the match in the 18th minute, but Suraj Karkera, who...
