India beats France in the first round of the Pro League

From penalty corners, Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar scored the first two goals, before Shamsher Singh, Mandeep Singh, and Akashdeep Singh scored to seal a lopsided victory.

The Indian men’s hockey team began 2022 with a bang, smashing France 5-0 in their first match of the FIH Pro League in Potchefstroom, South Africa, on Tuesday.

From penalty corners, Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar scored the first two goals, before Shamsher Singh, Mandeep Singh, and Akashdeep Singh scored to seal a lopsided victory.

Against Wednesday, India takes on hosts South Africa in the FIH Pro League.

The Indians, led by head coach Graham Reid, took some time to settle in while the French applied some pressure in the first quarter, which concluded with a scoreless tie. India’s few chances, including two consecutive penalty corners, were thwarted by tenacious defending or squandered by wayward shooting. The floodgates opened in the second quarter, with Harmanpreet (21st minute) and Varun (24th minute) both scoring from set-pieces, both hitting the target with low strikes to goalkeeper Arthur Thieffry’s right. & Shamsher scoring India’s third goal after a swift counterattack, with Abhishek’s final ball.

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Mandeep Singh scored the game’s first goal in the 32nd minute, thanks to a pass from skipper Manpreet Singh. In the 41st over, Akashdeep, who was playing his 200th match for India, nailed the mark with a reverse hit.

France attempted a comeback in the last quarter, earning back-to-back penalty corners in the 48th minute, but they were unable to cut the deficit. The Indians were unable to add to their tally in the final 15 minutes as well, but the final score would be acceptable against a team ranked 13th in the world that entered the FIH Pro League after Canada withdrew due to worries about Covid-19.

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Once the Indian team found their stride, they relentlessly pressed the French defence. India had 14 shots on goal at the end of the first half, while their opponents had only five. The Australians converted two of their four penalty corners, while the Europeans failed to capitalise on the three they were given.

The Indians had taken 22 shots on goal by the end of the game, compared to the French’s nine. Despite the fact that possession was fairly split, the Olympic medalists made far more effective use of the ball, with 34 circle penetrations compared to the opponents’ 26.

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