Commonwealth Games 2022: Indian Men’s Hockey Team beat Wales 4-1 to reach Semi-Finals

Xtra Time Web Desk: Indian Men’s Hockey Team confirmed a spot in the Semi-Finals of the Commonwealth Games 2022 with a 4-1 win over Wales in Birmingham on Thursday. Harmanpreet Singh (18′, 19′, 41′) scored a hat-trick in the match, while Gurjant Singh (49′) also added in a goal as the duo helped their team pull off a solid win in a gritty contest. Gareth Furlong (55′) scored a consolation goal for Wales.

Harmanpreet Singh put India in front as he scored the first goal of the match from a Penalty Corner at the start of second quarter. A minute later, Harmanpreet Singh added another goal from another Penalty Corner. At the stroke of halftime, Wales pushed forward in number as James Carson broke through Indian defence. He passed the ball to Rupert Shipperley, who hit it wide, and India went to halftime with a 2-0 lead.

The second half started with Abhishek earning a free hit for India in a dangerous area, which led to the Indian team earning another Penalty Corner. But this time around, Harmanpreet Singh’s powerful dragflick was saved by Rupert Shipperley. A great move was set up by Jarmanpreet Singh and Akashdeep Singh. But the pass to Gurjant Singh in front of the goal just went wide, much to the relief of Welsh defence. Harmanpreet Singh completed his hat-trick as he successfully converted a penalty stroke, taking his total goals tally in the tournament to 9.

Trailing by three goals, Wales started showcasing urgency in the final quarter. Nilakanta Sharma made a beautiful pass inside the striking circle to Akashdeep Singh, but his shot on target was just deflected away by the goalpost. Minutes later, Gurjant Singh struck a ball into the nets to extend India’s lead to 4-0. Goalkeeper Krishan B Pathak made a tremendous save as Gareth Furlong took a shot on target from a Penalty Corner, helping India keep their clean sheet. India managed to hold on to their lead till the final whistle, winning the match 4-1.