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.