India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the semifinals of the U18 Asia Cup 2016 hockey tournament to set up a mouthwatering final with hosts Bangladesh. The two sides clash on Friday at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium. MATCH REPORT HERE.
While India beat one of the tournament favourites Pakistan with a 3-1 scoreline, Bangladesh thrashed Chinese Taipei 6-1 in the other semifinal of Thursday.
Ashraful Islam scored thrice for the Bangladesh colts on the match, while Raju Ahmed, Sajib Hossain and Fazle Hossain Rabbi netted one goal apiece to record the massive win over Chinese Taipei. They defeated India in the opening game of the tournament this year by a 5-4 margin, in what as an edge-of-the-seat thriller.
Bangladesh then put forward a dominating performance against Oman to record a whopping 10-0 victory.
India, meanwhile, following the opening defeat against Bangladesh, came back strong against Oman, overpowering them with a 11-0 result. The likes of Shivam Anand, Dilpreet Singh and skipper Nilam Sanjeep Xess scored for BJ Kariappa's side against Pakistan on Friday and the trio will be expected to step up their performances once again in the final.
Also, Ibungo Singh Konjengbam as well as goalkeeper Pankaj Kumar Rajak are also tipped to shine for India in the match.
Schedule
U18 Asia Cup 2016 final: India vs Bangladesh is scheduled for a 2:30 pm kick off on September 30.
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