By IANS
Ipoh (Malaysia) : India defeated China 5-4 in a pulsating group A match of the 16th Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here Sunday.
After being beaten by Australia 1-0 in the opening match, the Indian team had to win this match to stay alive in the tournament.
The players didn't disappoint as drag flicker Raghunath was bang on target, scoring twice in 19th and 43rd minute while Prabhjot Singh (5th), Bimal Lakra (60th) and Rajpal Singh (35th) scored one goal apiece.
For China, captain Song Yi (21st, 65th) scored a brace while Yu Yang (4th) and Hu Hui Ren (36th) added to the tally.
Both the teams played some attacking game but eventually India emerged the winner and took sweet revenge of their 2-3 loss to China in the Asian Games in Doha last year.
Yang opened the scoring for China as early as in the fourth minute of a field move but the lead was shortlived as Prabhjot fired the equaliser in the next minute.
After being fed by a through pass from the centre, an unmarked Prabhjot hit a reverse stick shot to sound the board. The forward got another chance in the next few minutes to stretch the lead but failed to do so. A quick pass from William Xalco found Prabhjot in the circle. But a Chinese defender forced Prabhjot to cut down the angle and he hit it wide of the net.
It was Raghunath, who put India into lead from a penalty corner. The drag flicker was bang on target and clinically converted the penalty corner in the 19th minute to give India a 2-1 lead.
"We had a clear gameplan today as we lost to them in the Asian Games. Today our penalty corner conversion was also well. Back in home I had been practising this stop and push thing and today it paid off," he said after the match.
With India 2-1 up, China made some exciting moves and found the equaliser in the 21st minute by a penalty corner converted by Song.
India went into the breather with a 3-2 lead after Rajpal Singh hit the net via a penalty stroke that was awarded after a foul on Tushar Khandekar by the Chinese defenders.
Within a minute of the breather, China found the equaliser by a strike from Ren via a field goal. In the 43rd minute, Raghunath finished his brace by converting a penalty corner to give his team 4-3 lead. Lakra sounded the board in the 60th minute to make it 5-3. China managed to pull back one, with just five minutes from the final hooter, via Song's strike.