‘Our key moment from Goal 2 to Goal 3 knocked wind out of Malaysia’s sails’: India head coach Craig Fulton

Craig Fulton

India coach Craig Fulton seemed a worried man on the sidelines for most part of the Asian Champions Trophy final against Malaysia at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium on Saturday. That's because the hosts were trailing by two goals for the first time in the tournament and for a good 44 minutes in the 60-minute encounter, before two goals in the 45th minute - the first a penalty stroke conversion by skipper Harmanpreet Singh and second a field goal by Gurjant Singh - turned the game on its head.

Crucial 60 seconds

Coach Fulton admitted that those 60 seconds were crucial in deciding the champion team. "Malaysia raised their game, all credit to them. They took control of the first half [two quarters]. But at half-time [with India 1-3 down], we regrouped. I always knew that if we could get one goal, we could get two and that would bring us to a phase where we can win the game. It was a key moment from Goal 2 to Goal 3 and that knocked the wind out of Malaysia's sails. We didn't do well in the first half tonight, but we turned it around, that's character for you," a smiling Fulton said at the post-match press conference.

In a fast-paced final, India opened the scoring through a Jugraj Singh (9th min) penalty corner conversion before Malaysia scored thrice. Abu Kamal Azrai (14th), Razie Rahim (18th) and Aminudin Muhamad (28th) put the visitors 3-1 up before India's double delivery in the 45th minute. Akashdeep Singh finally netted the winner in the 56th minute. India's next assignment is the Asian Games [September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China] where a gold medal will earn them a direct qualification for the all-important 2024 Paris Olympics.

‘Need such close games'

Fulton felt a close match like this final will keep his team in good stead for that challenge. "This win is important because you need to know that you can come from behind. It's easy to play when you are two or three-nil up, but it's not easy to chase. Finals are always cagey affairs, so it's important to have a game like this before the Asian Games," said Fulton, stressing that the Asiad has been his primary focus even before this tournament. "This win counts, but at the same time, this is not the Asian Games. So, our feet are firmly on the ground, but if you would have said to me to pick between winning the Asian Games or losing this tournament, I'd obviously say winning the Asian Games," he signed off.