Indian hockey team is going to face Pakistan hockey team on April 11 in a must-win match in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey tournament. As I said this is a must-win match for either side in order to make it to the tournament final. After a 3-0 thumping victory over hosts Malaysia who is currently leading the point table with 6 points at this moment, India is now all set to go all out against Pakistan to clinch a victory in what would hand them a final berth. India has 5 points from 3 games, while Pakistan has 3 points from three games, having defeated tournament newcomer Egypt in their last game.
New Zealand is also in the contention for a place in the tournament final as they hold 5 points to their credit and they would face Malaysia in their last group stage match. No doubt, the winner between India and Pakistan will reach the final where they will face the winner between Malaysia and New Zealand. Now, it seems that Pakistan did not have a very good tournament so far as they were defeated by hosts Malaysia and New Zealand in the first two games, before clinching an emphatic 4-0 victory over Egypt. However, Pakistan still has the chance to reach the tournament final by defeating arch rival India today.
For India, the problem is lapses in their defense for which they conceded two late games in both the drawn games (against Egypt and New Zealand) in which India was leading by 2-1 towards the end of the match, but was held to frustrating draws, having conceded late goals in both the games. So, Indian defense must show more resistance against Pakistan in the closing minutes in order to earn a place in the tournament final. For Pakistan, as I earlier mentioned, the tournament has not been very impressive as they lost to Malaysia and New Zealand, but it seems that Pakistan could make to the final of the tournament if Indian defense continue making mistakes towards the end of the match. However, one thing is for sure that India and Pakistan will take on each other and they will not leave any stone unturned to walk away with three points from the match, ensuring a place in the tournament final.
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