The Indian handball team defeated Pakistan in a nail-biting finish on Friday, 24 August, at the Asian Games 2018.
The two teams were tied till the last minute of the game at 27-27 before Naveen Punia’s valiant effort clinched the match in India’s favour, scored seconds before the final whistle.
The match was crucial for both the teams who were previously tied at the second spot in the Group 3 table and sought to close in to the group leader Chinese Taipei.
For India, Greenidge D’Cunha netted nine goals with Adithya Nagaraj scoring half a dozen. Naveen Punia and Karamjeet Singh found the back of the net four times each as Harender Singh bagged a hat-trick. Khatkar Naveen also joined the goal fest with one to his name.
The goals kept coming from both the sides throughout the match as the teams found it difficult to hold on to their lead.
After the first half, the scoreboard was 14-12, with India leading by 2 points.
Going into the second half, it was a see saw battle as both outfits refused to give an inch until the final minute when at 27-27, India's Punia found the winner from the right wing.
This was India’s second win in a row. They had started their campaign with a commanding victory over Malaysia with a score of 45-19.
India will be playing against Chinese Taipei in their next group match on Sunday, 26 August.
(With inputs from IANS.)
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