India finish 3rd at Junior Hockey Meet

Malaysia: The Indian junior men's team beat 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 evening.

Goals from Vishal Antil (15th, 25th minutes), Vivek Prasad (11th) and Shilanand Lakra (21th) were enough for India to claim a spot on the podium.

India had earlier finished third in the points table with nine points after winning three and losing two of the round robin matches.

Sunday's match saw the Indians start on a bright note as they put the Malaysian defence under pressure in the initial stages.

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.

Prasad handed them the lead when Maninder Singh provided him with the assist from the right flank. India doubled their lead four minutes later when a precise long pass from Dilpreet Singh was picked up by Shilanand Lakra inside the circle, and the forward made a turn and passed the ball to Antil who then scored with a cool finish.

The Indians dominated the second quarter, hogging most of the possession and were rewarded for their spirited display when Lakra tapped in a pass by Prasad to extend the lead.

The Indian forwards were in prime form and they struck yet again when Dilpreet Singh picked out Antil inside the penalty circle.