India showed great resilience to fight back from a deficit and earn a 3-3 draw with Malaysia in their second Asia Cup 2022 Super 4s game, hosted at the GBK Sports Complex Hockey Stadium. This match comes on the heels of a tight 2-1 win against Japan in their previous outing. After a lackluster first half characterized by a timid, defensive approach and a total lack of offensive pressure, the Indian side transformed in the second half. A surge of energy from the younger players allowed them to seize control of the midfield and mount the attacks necessary to score three times.
India fought back brilliantly to come from behind to hold Malaysia to a 3-3 draw in its second Asia Cup 2022 Super 4s match at the GBK Sports Complex Hockey Stadium. Earlier, Indian men eked out a superb 2-1 win over Japan in their first Super 4 encounter. The Indian team who played poorly in the first half was defensive and failed to attempt a single shot at the opponent’s goal. However, the young Indian players came back strongly in the latter half to launch some superb attacks and controlled the midfield well to score thrice.
Following this result, India now holds the second position in the Super 4s rankings. The match ended in a tie largely thanks to a brilliant hat-trick by Malaysia's drag-flicker Razie Rahim. India's comeback, meanwhile, was driven by a collective effort, with Vishnukant Singh, SV Sunil, and Nilam Sanjeep Xess each finding the back of the net.
Malaysia dominated the early tempo, utilizing an aggressive strategy that punished India's passive play. Even though India held onto the ball more often, they were far less effective, recording just one shot on goal while Malaysia unleashed eight. The Indian defense struggled early on, conceding three easy penalty corners that kept them on the defensive for much of the first half.
Rahim, who has been the most prolific scorer of the tournament, opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a sharp, low drive into the left corner that completely fooled goalkeeper Suraj Karkera. Not long after, Rahim struck again, converting a second penalty corner to double Malaysia's lead to 2-0.
At the start of the second half, Pankaj Rajak stepped in for Karkera in goal. India finally found a breakthrough at the beginning of the third quarter after earning their first penalty corner of the game; Vishnukant capitalized on a rebound, firing it into the top of the net to bring the score to 2-1.
India continued to press with a series of coordinated attacks, but they were repeatedly denied by a stellar performance from Malaysian keeper Othman Hafizuddin. As the final quarter began, India pushed hard for an equalizer. The breakthrough came when Pawan Rajbhar intercepted a ball in midfield and set up an unmarked Sunil, who clinicaly finished the play.
Nilam managed to put India ahead in the 54th minute, but the lead lasted only seconds before India conceded another penalty corner. The match ended in a nail-biting fashion, with India nearly giving away another penalty corner in the dying moments, only to be saved by the final whistle. India's final Super 4s challenge will be against South Korea this coming Tuesday.