India Men’s Hockey head coach Craig Fulton hailed the character of his team after India scripted a scintillating comeback to clinch the Asian Champions Trophy title on Saturday. India were 1-3 down by the end of the first-half. However the team managed to produce a sensational comeback to overcome a two-goal deficit against Malaysia in the final. They won the contest by 4-3 to become the most successful team in the history of the competition.
Also Read: India vs Malaysia Highlights: India defeat Malaysia 4-3, lift fourth Asian Champions Trophy title
With this victory, India became the most successful team in the Asian Champions Trophy ahead of arch-rivals and three times champions Pakistan. “Guys are trusting each other and also trusting that they can do the job. They feel confident that they can step up. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to. For whatever reason that’s fine. But I thought we pressed really well. By doing that the younger players stood up so did the older players and it was a good collective mix. So the character of the group is great,” said Craig Fulton.
India were put under tremendous pressure by Malaysia. They scored two early goals. India went into the half-time trailing 1-3. However the hosts made a trerrific comeback to clinch the win. “Malaysia raised their game. They got control of that first-half. We didn’t do badly but we weren’t 100% committed to what we were trying to do. Half-time came at a good period and we regrouped. I knew that if we could get one goal, we could get two.” said Fulton on the comeback.
Next target -Asian Games, says Craig Fulton
The flow of the game changed at a key moment when Indian received a penalty stroke. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh buried his shot past the goalkeeper to reduce the deficit by one for the hosts. “It took a really key moment from goal two to three. I think that took a lot of wind out of the Malaysian sails and then it was just a matter of time to try and get the winner,” added Fulton.
Fulton however said that the team has to stay grounded after the win as their target is the upcoming Asian Games. “It is important to have a game like this because it counts. If we didn’t win today we were out. At the same time it’s not the Asian Games so we have our feet firmly on the ground. It’s not easy to chase from behind. I think we covered a lot of those now pre-Asian Games but we still got some work to do,” he said.
India have completed a busy month-long tour with the Asian Champions Trophy. Just before the tournament, the team was in Spain playing at the 100thAnniversary Spanish Hockey Federation tournament where they won the bronze medal. Fulton said that the whole team will go on a short break before they regroup for the Asian Games. “We have been on the road for 24-25 days so we go our separate ways tomorrow for a break and I think it is well deserved,” he concluded.
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