India's men's hockey team secured a thrilling 5-3 victory over Pakistan in the decisive Group D match at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. The win earned India a place in the second round, while Pakistan were officially eliminated from the tournament.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring in the fourth minute from a penalty corner, before Abhishek doubled the lead in the 10th minute after a pass from Mandeep Singh. Harmanpreet struck again in the 20th minute, also from a penalty corner, but Hannan Shahid pulled one back for Pakistan after a rebound from the goalkeeper.
Abhishek made it 4-1 with a fortunate deflection after the ball bounced off a Pakistani player, but Sufyan Khan brought the score to 4-2 with a well-taken penalty corner just before halftime.
In the third quarter, Hardik Singh scored India's fifth goal from a penalty stroke in the 31st minute. The quarter ended with India holding a three-goal advantage, and each team received a green card (Zikriya Hayat for Pakistan and Rajinder Singh for India).
Pakistan mounted a strong comeback at the start of the fourth quarter when Shahid scored in the 45th minute after a mistake by Hardik in midfield, reducing the deficit to 5-3. However, India faced a tense finale when Aditya Lalage received a yellow card in the 55th minute and had to leave the field, leaving the team with just 10 players.
Despite this, the team held firm in the final minutes to secure the win and progress. India finished Group D with 6 points following their earlier 3-1 victory over Wales. England topped the group with a perfect 9 points from three straight wins, including an emphatic 8-2 victory over Wales on the same day.
In the second round, India will face the Netherlands, while England will take on Argentina or New Zealand.
