SALALAH: The Indian men's team overcame Malaysia 7-5 and then scripted a stunning 35-1 win over Japan on Thursday, the twin wins helping it to storm into the semifinals at the Men's Asian Hockey 5s World Cup Qualifier here.
In the second game of the day, Maninder Singh slammed in 10 goals as India thrashed Japan after starting the day with a narrow 7-5 win over Malaysia in a thrilling encounter.
Maninder Singh scored in 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th, 15th, 20th, 24th, 25th and 29th minutes of the match. Mohammed Raheel (3', 4', 11', 12', 17', 26, 26'), Pawan Rajbhar (2', 6', 10', 13', 23'), Gurjot Singh (12', 20', 21', 27', 30'), Sukhvinder (4', 8', 16', 22'), captain Mandeep Mor (18', 23', 29'), and Jugraj Singh (15') were on target for India. For Japan, Masataka Kobori (29') scored the lone consolation in the match.
Earlier in the day, India played Malaysia in a thrilling encounter that went right down to the wire. With Gurjot Singh (7', 11', 17', 29' 30') scoring five goals, and Maninder Singh (12'), and Mohammed Raheel (21') getting a goal each, India won the match 7-5.
With two big wins on the day, India managed to finish in the second position in the Elite pool table with 12 points and earned a direct qualification for the semifinals. India will next play in the second semifinal match of the tournament on September 2. IANS
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