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India beat the 4-2 United States in their penultimate league match in the FIH Pro League 2021-22. Both the sides were quite competitive in the first quarter and denied each of them enough chances of penalty corners, however, Sharmila and Navneet displayed their brilliance on the field.
In the second quarter, the USA started by failing to convert successive penalty corners into goals. On the other hand, the Indian team also could not score goals despite receiving penalty corners and excellent work in getting the ball inside the D.
In the 27th minute of the game, Grega Danielle scored the first goal for the USA team, by a faint touch to an aerial shot. From the first impression, it looked as if the goalkeeping error was the main reason to concede this goal.
In the first minute of the 2nd half, Ekka Deep Grace scored an equalizer goal for the team in a penalty corner. Then, a minute later, Navneet Kaur delivered a perfectly planned goal with an impressive through ball to help the Indian team lead 2-1.
In the 39th minute, Sonika got a little tiny touch to score another goal for the Indian team after Vandana Kataria successfully tackled the opposition goalkeeper.
With barely a few seconds left in the third quarter, Konerth Natalie scored the much-needed second goal for the USA.
In the 49th minute, the mistake in defense by the USA team helped the Indian team to get a lead of two goals, and the score line read 4-2. Navjot intercepted a loose ball and fed it to Vandana, who scored a goal.
After the culmination of this fixture, India has three wins, while the USA has seven victories, while one has ended as a draw in head-to-head matches since 2013.
In the 2021-22 FIH Hockey Pro League standings, India is placed third in the points table with five wins in 13 matches. Both the teams will meet in their last league fixture of the tournament on 22nd June.