India moved into the second round on the road to the semifinals at the 16th Hockey World Cup after beating Pakistan 5-3 in a crucial league match in Amstelveen.
The tournament is being held across Wavre in Belgium and Amstelveen in the Netherlands. Placed in Pool D, India had earlier beaten Wales 3-1 before losing 2-4 to England.
Needing a win to stay in contention, India struck early through captain Harmanpreet Singh, who converted a penalty corner in the 5th minute. India doubled the lead in the 11th minute when Abhishek’s attempt deflected off a Pakistan stick into the net, and Harmanpreet added another in the 21st minute. Pakistan responded through Abdul Hannan, and both sides traded goals in the 24th minute as India went into halftime leading 4-2.
India extended the advantage in the 35th minute when Hardik Singh scored from a penalty opportunity. Pakistan’s Hannan netted his second in the 46th minute, and India had to play the final five minutes with 10 men after Aditya received a yellow card in the 56th. Despite the late pressure, India held on for a 5-3 win, eliminating Pakistan from the semifinals race.
