Johor Bahru (Malaysia), Oct 23 (IANS ) Australia ended India's unbeaten streak at the Sultan of Johor Cup with a resounding 4-0 win here on Wednesday. While India's forward line struggled to break the Australian defence, Daykin Stanger (33', 39', 53') stood tall in the Australian attack as he scored a hat-trick of goals while Patrik Andrew (29') scored the opening goal.
Despite the loss, India continued to lead the points table with nine points while Australia is placed third after New Zealand in second place. With three wins in their kitty and one more match left in the round-robin league, India continues to hold on to a potential slot in the final.
Table toppers India faced a stiff challenge from the get-go. Though India made a promising start, Australia resorted to high-press early in the game to control the ball possession. The Australians used speed to their advantage and set the momentum they needed to create shots on goal. With less than two minutes for the first hooter, the Aussie forward line forayed into the striking circle and unleashed a fierce reverse hit but was off-target.
They found another opportunity to score when they earned a PC with just nine seconds on the clock for the first hooter. But India goalie Bikramjit Singh made a brave save to end the quarter in a 0-0 stalemate. Inspired by their coach legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, Ali Khan made a grand save off a penalty stroke which India conceded in the 18th minute. Quick on the counterattack, India earned a PC but the drag-flick was deflected by the Aussie defence.
In the following minutes, both teams traded PCs before Australia's Patrick Andrew drew the first blood in the 29th minute when he managed a brilliant reverse hit from the left flank. The 1-0 lead left India stunned. With seconds left on the clock for the half-time break, India found a great opportunity to equalise through a PC but the Aussie goalkeeper managed to pad the ball to safety.
Buoyed by the 1-0 lead, Australia ended up extending the scoreline to 2-0 in the 33rd minute when Daykin Stanger got a fine deflection off a reverse hit. This was a real setback for India who had to come up with an improvised attack to narrow the lead.
In the meantime, Australia managed to pump a third goal into the net when Daykin picked up a well-constructed attack and hoodwinked the Indian defence to take a 3-0 lead. India desperately searched for an opening but the Australian defence was resolute and kept India's hunt for that elusive goal alive through the fourth quarter.
Special mention to the Aussie goalie Hunter Banyard who was outstanding throughout the game, making some incredible saves to keep Indian strikers at bay. In the opening minute of the fourth quarter, he made a diving save to stop Dilraj's fine shot on goal.
To add to India's woes, Daykin scored a hat-trick in the 53rd minute. With the score reading 4-0 and only seven minutes of play left, India looked for a consolation goal but couldn't convert one.