Kuantan, Malaysia: India beat Pakistan 3-2 in the final of the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy to grab gold in Kuantan, Malaysia.
After a silent first quarter, India fired in two goals in a gap of three minutes courtesy a penalty corner conversion from Rupinder Pal Singh and later a field goal from Affan Yousuf.
Pakistan, on the other hand, were always found trying to comeback in the match and courtesy Aleem Bilal’s drag were able to make the score 2-1 at the end of the second quarter.
In the third quarter, possession-play from Pakistan helped them create an opportunity for Ali Shan to tap one in and equalise the scores 2-2.
However, when it mattered the most, India held their nerves better than the Greenshirts and Nikkin Thimmaiah was their tormentor as he pushed one in from a cross in the fourth quarter.
Pakistan head coach Khawaja Junaid was quite optimistic in the post-match interview. “Players will take a lot of confidence from this final,” he said. “We have achieved many things today. We were unfortunate to not convert. It was a great game of hockey.
