Youth Olympics hockey 5s: Indian teams falter in finals, clinch historic silver medals

India won its first Hockey 5s Youth Olympics medal when Vivek Prasad and his boys clinched silver after going down to Malaysia in Sunday’s final.

A couple of hours later, the women’s team doubled India’s Hockey 5s silver medal count when they lost to hosts Argentina.

This was the first time India featured in the Hockey 5s competition.

Vivek and Co lose 2-4 to Malaysia

Apart from the close 3-4 defeat against Australia, the boys in blue had won all their games going into the final. They were the favourites to win the gold medal on Sunday.

Captain Vivek scored in the second minute to put the Malaysians under pressure. Rattled by an early goal in the tournament’s most important game, they scrambled to get an equaliser. But Vivek and Co continued to control the proceedings. The skipper made two more dangerous attempts in the next two minutes.

Against the run of play, Firadus Rosdi, well away from the net, unleashed a strike that levelled the score for Malaysia.

Vivek, India’s talisman, tore into the Malaysian defence in the fifth minute to restore his team’s lead. But the Malaysian ‘keeper, Shahrul Saupi, parried the ball away. Vivek, however, stole it back some 30 seconds later and completed a brace.

Malaysia made a flurry of attempts for the remainder of the first half through Firadus, Arif Ishak, Syarman Mat and Muhibuddin Moharam. But the Indian ‘keeper Prashant Chauhan ensured that India led at the end of first half.

Desperate to level the scores, Malaysia started the second half aggressively. And, the relentless attack resulted in an equaliser in the 13th minute when Akhimullah Anuar hit a mighty drive into the Indian net.

Amirul Azahar, then, sealed the final with a 17th minute goal.

Hosts Argentina too good for Indian women

Unlike their male compatriots, the Indian women were the underdogs in the final against two-time medallists, Argentina.

Salima Tete and her girls, however, made a spirited start, making the hosts scramble to get the ball. Mumtaz Khan, within nine seconds after the start, attempted to score. But the Argentinean ‘keeper Lourdes Perez cleared the ball away.

It, however, took only a few seconds more for Mumtaz to find the opposition net as she capitalised on a defensive lapse.

Despite conceding an early goal, the Argentinean girls were enlivened by the raucous, partisan crowd. They made a flurry of attempts in the remainder of the first half and one of them, by Gianella Palet, was rebounded by the Indian ‘keeper Bichu Kharibam. Palet just slotted the ball into the net to equalise for Argentina.

Two minutes later, Sofia Ramallo, in front of the goalmouth, deceived the Indian defence with a swivel and drove the ball into the net to put the hosts ahead.

Brisa Bruggesser’s second half goal (11th minute) was enough as the Argentinian’s wrested control and dominated the rest of the match.