FIH Pro League: India beat Pakistan in 7-goal thriller in London to extend unbeaten streak to 3784 days

Sparks flew precisely as anticipated at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre as India survived a furious late fightback from arch-rivals Pakistan to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory in their opening fixture of the FIH Pro League London leg. Meeting on the international stage for the first time in nearly two years, the two Asian giants served up an unmissable spectacle that stayed true to the rich, chaotic history of this storied rivalry.

The victory maintains India’s remarkable decade-long unbeaten streak against their neighbours – extending a dominant run to 18 games without defeat in a streak that now extends to 3784 days.

IND vs PAK, FIH Pro League: Highlights

The defeat left Pakistan marooned at the bottom of the table, winless with 13 defeats from as many matches this season, while India moved to the 7th spot, having picked up their third win in 13 matches and building on the good Dutch leg of the FIH Pro League.

The lopsided final stats tell a story of total Indian dominance, with the Men in Blue registering a staggering 30 circle penetrations compared to Pakistan’s meagre nine. Yet, the encounter began with a shock for the pre-match favourites. Despite India dictating traffic with 19 circle penetrations and earning nine penalty corners in the first half alone, it was Pakistan who struck first against the run of play. Ahmad Nadeem capitalised on a rare first-quarter opening to pierce the Indian defence and hand the underdogs a surprise lead.

Pakistan’s 22-year-old goalkeeper, Ali Raza, put up a heroic, solitary resistance to keep the Indians at bay. Early in the second quarter, Dilpreet Singh found himself one-on-one with the young shot-stopper and unleashed a ferocious strike, only for Raza to pull off a superb block with an outstretched left foot.

But the Pakistani resistance finally broke in the 23rd minute. Dilpreet quickly reclaimed possession and delivered a sublime cross back into the danger area for Abhishek, who ruthlessly slotted a powerful open-play strike into the bottom right corner. A desperate Pakistan review yielded nothing, and the equaliser stood.

The turnaround was completed barely 60 seconds later through a chaotic penalty corner routine. Pakistan’s first rusher did brilliantly to charge down the initial flick, but the ball broke loose inside the D. Nilakanta Sharma reacted quickest, hammering the loose ball toward the bottom left corner. With Mandeep Singh effectively screening Raza’s vision, the ball sneaked through a crowd of legs to find the back of the net-marking a delighted Nilakanta’s 19th international goal for the blue shirt.

LATE FIGHTBACK IN VAIN

India continued their relentless pressure after the interval and found a spectacular third. Spearheading a decisive attack, Sukhjeet Singh received a cross in the box with his back to the goal. In one fluid motion, the forward turned his marker and unleashed an absolute screamer of a strike that left Raza with absolutely no chance.

India’s dominance was further rewarded in the final quarter via their tenth penalty corner. In a clever tactical shift, the whistle-blowers deployed captain Harmanpreet Singh as a decoy, allowing Rajinder Singh to step up. Rajinder unleashed a superb drag-flick at an awkward, uncomfortable height that whizzed past a stranded Raza to make it 4-1 with seven minutes left on the clock.

Yet, true to the volatile nature of this fixture, the Green Shirts refused to capitulate. Sensing late complacency, Abu Bakar pulled one back by slipping a deflection through the keeper’s legs to inject belief into the Pakistani dugout. With just 15 seconds remaining, Gazanfar Shakeel capitalised on a desperate goalmouth scramble to score Pakistan’s third.

Though the final whistle brought immense relief to the Indian contingent after a nervy finish, the result consolidated the fine form they showed during the Rotterdam leg. India will look to iron out their defensive lapses before they take on hosts England on June 25, whilst a resilient Pakistan turn around immediately to face the English outfit on Wednesday.

India and Pakistan will meet again in London in the second leg on Friday.

– Ends