Australia bounced back from an opening match defeat to defeat Pakistan 5-1 in a rain-affected match at the Sultan of Johor Cup.
India
placed themselves as the firm favourites in the Sultan of Johor Cup
after they beat five-time World Cup holders Germany 3-1 at the Taman
Daya Stadium in Johor Baru.
And
it was a perfect gift to the Indian public as Diwali, the festival of
lights falls on Tuesday. Two wins over two top teams, Australia and
Germany have given India the perfect start for the tournament.
The
Germans were never in the match in the first half, as Mandeep Singh ran
circles around their defence and scored two brilliant goals.
Mandeep’s
first was in the eighth minute, which he tucked in from close range and
even before the crowd could stop celebrating, he nailed his second.
And this time, it was right after the re-start, Mandeep weaved his magic and beat German goalkeeper Victor Aly from close range,
The Germans won three penalty corners in the first half, but could not find the mark.
After
the breather, Germany went on the offensive and were duly rewarded when
Alexander Schollkopf converted a penalty corner in the 40th minute.
Hardly
had the cheers died down that India struck for the third time as
Akashdeep Singh broke clear on left, went past Victor and sent a reverse
stick hit sailing into goal to make it 3-1.
