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Hockey
By S. Thyagarajan
India 3 -- Pakistan 2 Germany 2 -- Korea 1
No one individual symbolised the essence of the amalgam which makes Indian hockey a fascinating spectacle than the veteran camapaigner Dhanraj Pillay, who simply bemused the Pakistani defence with his sinuous runs. Almost in every move there was a Dhanraj touch even as he served the ball to the unmarked attacker. Not only was he a beauty to behold while swerving past a rival defender but he also came off well in smothering penalty corners. Really, it was one of the memorable matches for the 33-year-old stalwart with over 350 international caps. Having said that, it must be admitted that almost everyone in the squad deserves approbation. In every layer, India was impressive, and the manner in which the goals were scored by Prabhjot Singh, Dilip Tirkey and Gagan Ajit Singh underscored the efficacy of the synthesis in defence and attack. Goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan should be singled out for praise for the splendid saves he effected against the lethal penalty corner shots from the world class striker, Sohail Abbas. After a somewhat hesitant start, India settled down to a rhythm not often seen in recent years. Prabhjot Singh and Deepak Thakur responded delightfully to the promptings of Dhanraj Pillay. In the mid-field, everyone was outstanding, but none more than the left-half Ignace Tirkey. It was a sight to see him pluck the ball from the Paksitani forward. Viren Rasquinha and Vikram Pillay showed exemplary tackling prowess. In the deep defence, Kanwalpreet Singh proved an apt foil for Dilip Tirkey. Some of the interceptions by these two were superb. Pakistan showed neither consistency nor vigour to match the occasion. Frustrated repeatedly by losing the ball in the mid-field, the team looked somewhat disjointed and clearly out of tune in more ways than one. Still, they showed the fervour to be in the thick of attack hoping for an opening or two which the Indians were not giving easily. Mohammad Nadeem and Sarwar were closely marked and that left the usually agile Kashif Jawad lonely. Only Mudassar Ali Khan was able to put the defenders in trouble now and then. Veteran goalkeeper Ahmed Alam brought off two splendid saves in the early part of the match from Tirkey and Jugraj respectively, but the Pakistani goal fell midway through. It folded from a lovely move. A long clearance by Dilip Tirkey put Dhanraj on the run. After eluding a host of defenders, Dhanraj flicked the ball to Prabhjot Singh who found the mark amidst cheers. The joy of hoisting the lead proved evanescent with India allowing a soft goal. A centre by Mohammad Nadeem caused a scrimmage and the ball rolled in from the stick of Ghanzafar Ali. Undaunted by the reverse, India escalated the pressure and shortly before the break, Dilip Tirkey executed a stunner of a shot from a penalty corner for the lead. Whatever little pressure that Pakistan managed to exert was smothered well by the defence which stood up to the shots by Sohail Abbas from penalty corners. Devesh Chauhan was brilliant while saving at least two of them which even world class goalkeepers had found difficult. India again went into the lead, widening the margin to 3-1 with another bewitching move. Daljit Singh Dhillon put the ball to Dhanraj whose adroit cross culminated in Gagan Ajit Singh hitting the target. Clearly, Pakistan was outplayed at this point of time, and as always not willing to take defeat lying down, the team pumped all that it had into the contest. Sohail earned a penalty corner with a powerful free hit and converted in his inimitable style. Still 16 minutes remained for India to defend the lead and it did that in masterly fashion. Meanwhile, India missed a glorious chance in the final minutes when Gagan Ajit Singh shot over a well crafted move featuring Deepak Thakur and Dhanraj Pillay. The joy of the Indian supporters waving the tricolour knew no bounds, and many jumped the barricades to congratulate the players. India has seven points from four matches against the three by Pakistan. Earlier, rain drops kept falling on the head as Germany, methodical, meticulous, but not exactly mellifluous in its workouts, was stretched by the aggression and approach of the Koreans before registering its third successive win. Germany leads the table with nine points, without conceding a point while this was South Korea's second defeat in three matches. Korea has a match remaining against India on Friday. Play began in bright sunshine, but soon one was reminded of the two foxes wedding. There was both sunshine as well as rain. The teams weathered the conditions with aplomb despite the cloudburst impeding swift movements. If Germany had contemplated an easy win against the thus far listless Koreans it turned out to be an illusion. The Koreans were in with a chance to level till the final minute and only some smart goal-keeping by Clemens Arnold saved the evening of any embarrassment to the host. Shocking the rival with a third-minute strike from an astute flick by Timo Wess that was picked up delectably by Bjorn Michel who also finished with a spectacular shot. Enthused by the early success, the Germans went all out to escalate the pressure. Even as the Korean defence was settling down, the Germans almost scored again from a Timo Wess pass again. Only the shot by Sebastian was neatly saved by Lim. It was not until the entry of Song Tae Seung that the Korean attack gained shades of ascendancy. Whenever Song surged in there was a flutter around the rival defence. More than once Song created the openings inside the circle but the attack was not sharp enough. However, a penalty stroke brought Korea the equaliser. As Hwang moved into the circle came the stick-check from Philip Crone. Umpire Satinder Kumar, who did a fine job in the crucial encounter, showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Jeon Jong Ha converted without a fuss. As rain intensified, the teams struggled to get into a rhythm. The German defence came under heavy stress from the wing attack of Kang and the incisive thrusts of Song. But it was Germany that surged ahead from a penalty corner struck by Timo Wess. Germany could have had a goal more if only Bjorn Emmerling had trapped the shot from Philip Crone in a penalty corner. In the final minutes, the Koreans attacked in a now-or-never manner and forced two penalty corners. The equaliser almost came up but Kang misdirected a pass by Song. In the last minute, Clemens Arnold, the German goalkeeper, brought off a neat save to guard the lead which virtually ensures the home team a place in Sunday's final.
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