Hockey: Indian juniors thump Malaysia 4-0 for the bronze medal in Sultan of Johor Cup

Johor Bahru (Malaysia), October 29: The Indian junior men's hockey team defeated hosts Malaysia 4-0 in the bronze medal match of the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup 2017 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium here on Sunday (October 29).

Goals from Vishal Antil (15th, 25th), Vivek Prasad (11th) and Shilanand Lakra (21st) were enough for India to finish their tournament in the third place. India had earlier finished third in the points table as well with nine points after three wins and two defeats.

The team started the match on a bright note as they attacked the Malaysian defence in the initial stages of the first quarter. The Indian team seemed to have put aside the disappointment of failing to qualify for the final as they produced some marvellous skills to stamp their authority on the match. In the 11th minute, captain Vivek Prasad scored after Maninder Singh provided him with an assist from the right flank. India extended their lead four minutes later when a precise long pass from Dilpreet Singh was picked up by Shilanand Lakra inside the circle. The forward made a turn and passed the ball to Vishal Antil who then finished cooly to make it 2-0 at the end of first quarter.

Action shots from India's win over Malaysia to clinch the Bronze Medal at the 7th #SOJC2017 (Jr. Men) on 29th Oct. https://t.co/kxRznZQVXO pic.twitter.com/J7evEDcsLp

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) October 29, 2017

The second quarter had a similar story for the Indians as they dominated the possession and were rewarded for their spirited display when they scored a third goal through Shilanand Lakra, who tapped in a pass by Vivek in the 21st minute. India's attacking force was in prime form as they struck yet again in the 25th minute when Dilpreet Singh got his second assist of the match as he found Vishal Antil inside the circle with a calculated through ball, which was put into the back of the net by the latter to give their team an impressive 4-0 lead going into half-time.

Malaysia had to step up in the last two quarters if they were to make a comeback into the match, but India's defence was resolute and did not allow the hosts to get a route back into the match. India's goalkeeper Senthamizh Shankar was in fine form as he made several saves to deny the Malaysians.