FIH Hockey Pro League: Manpreet Singh shines in attacking role as India put four past Ireland | Hockey News
It is not often that a hockey match ends 4-0 with four different goal-scorers and the Player of the Match award goes to someone other than them. As India beat Ireland at the FIH Pro League in Rourkela on Sunday, it was Manpreet Singh who got the nod for the award in the end and it was fitting too, for the classy performance he produced in the midfield.
India had somewhat of an unusual collection of scorers in Nilakanta Sharma (14′), Akashdeep Singh (15′), Gurjant Singh (38′), and Jugraj Singh (60′) as they closed out the Odisha mini-tournament with their third outright win, moving up to third place on 15 points.
But Manpreet was in dazzling form, dictating India’s attacking pace and showing off his creativity to fashion proactive chances. After Ireland had made a fast start to the match, putting the Indian defence under pressure, Manpreet took control and won India’s first Penalty Corner with his dribbling. Nilakanta would put India ahead shortly off a rebound. Akashdeep scoring almost immediately after meant India scored twice against the run of play to put themselves in a comfortable position for the rest of the night, despite a good Irish fight.
Manpreet Singh magic
The moment of the night came in the third quarter when Manpreet received a long ball at the edge of the circle and turned into space with his sensational first touch, then sent in a delicious reverse-hit pass into the danger area. Gurjant got the final touch, but the players rushed to celebrate with Manpreet as they acknowledged that moment of brilliance. The final goal of the game from Jugraj Singh’s drag flick in the last minute as India put up an efficient attacking display sprinkled with moments of flamboyance.
It marked a continuation of Manpreet’s good recent form in Rourkela, shining in a more forward-thinking role. Against the Netherlands, he produced a turn past two defenders in midfield that reminded of Zinedine Zidane on the football pitch. Against Australia, he produced a magical pass at the edge of the circle that led to India‘s opening goal.
The former captain has a reputation of being a versatile player, who can don more than one hat on the hockey pitch. “His fundamentals were sensational, that’s why we had the nickname ‘Korean’ for him,” hockey commentator Siddharth Pandey had told The Indian Express about his evolution. “Then he transitioned into being a wonderful central defensive midfielder across coaches. And now he has added a dimension that not a lot of people thought he had, which is shining as a central attacking midfielder.”
Manpreet is capable of fulfilling any role in this side, and helps head coach Craig Fulton to make tactical tweaks. But his recent performances higher up the pitch, where he helps unlock defences, is perhaps where he shines the most.
