Malaysia: Bharat secured a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Netherlands in a nail-biting quarter-finals clash at the National Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, propelling them into the semi-finals of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023.
Aditya Arjun Lalage (34’), Araijeet Singh Hundal (35’), Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (52’), and captain Uttam Singh (57’) were the goal scorers for the Indian men’s hockey team, while Timo Boers (5’), Pepijn van der Heijden (16’), and Olivier Hortensius (44’) found the net for the Dutch side.
Despite the Netherlands holding the fourth position in the world rankings and securing an early lead with a penalty corner goal from Timo Boers, Bharat staged a brilliant comeback.
Aditya Lalage’s goal , assisted by Araijeet Singh Hundal’s during the third quarter, levelled the score, erasing the Dutch’s 2-0 lead at halftime. The game intensified in the final quarter, with the Dutch regaining the lead through Olivier Hortensius’s goal. Later, Bharat bounced back in the last 10 minutes, with Sourabh Anand Kushwaha levelling the score at 3-3. Captain Uttam Singh sealed the victory with a goal just three minutes before the final whistle.
Bharat’s defence played a crucial role in securing the win, with Rohit standing out by blocking six successive penalty corners in the final quarter. Rohit’s stellar performance earned him the Player of the Match award.
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