A fighting India rode on Ramandeep Singh’s brace to eke out a come-from-behind to triumph 3-2 over Argentina and register their second consecutive win in the Sultan of Johor Cup Under-21 hockey tournament, here on Monday.
India trailed for a large part of the match but Ramandeep (60th, 62nd) found his scoring touch when it mattered most and netted two field goals in final 10 minutes to turn the game in his side’s favour.
Vice-captain Affan Yousuf (23rd) was the other goal scorer for India, while Isidoro Carlos Ibarra (16th, 42nd) scored both the goals for the Argentines.
With two wins from as many games, India have consolidated their position in the league standings alongside arch-rivals Pakistan on six points apiece.
India had defeated England 2-1 in their tournament-opener on Sunday.
Argentina, on the other hand, slumped to their second straight defeat after having lost 2-4 to hosts Malaysia on Sunday.
Despite the win, it was a poor performance from the Indians who seemed lost in the midfield and lacked firepower and sting upfront.
Argentina drew the first blood in the 16th minute when Ibarra converted a penalty corner with precision that beat Indian custodian Harlot Singh all ends up.
