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Australia ended India's unbeaten streak at the Sultan of Johor Cup with a commanding 4-0 victory in Johor Bahru on Wednesday. While India's forwards struggled to penetrate the Australian defence, Daykin Stanger (33', 39', 53') delivered a hat-trick, with Patrik Andrew (29') opening the scoring.
Despite the loss, India remains at the top of the points table with nine points, while Australia is third, just behind New Zealand. With three wins in hand and one more match left in the round-robin league, India is still in contention for a spot in the final. India faced a tough challenge from the outset. Although they began promisingly, Australia implemented a high press early on to dominate possession. The Australians used their speed to set the tempo and create goal-scoring opportunities. In the final two minutes of the first quarter, the Australian forwards entered the striking circle and unleashed a fierce reverse hit, which narrowly missed the target. Australia earned a penalty corner (PC) with just nine seconds left in the first quarter, but India's goalkeeper Bikramjit Singh made a courageous save, keeping the score at 0-0. In the second quarter, inspired by their coach, legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, Ali Khan made an excellent save from a penalty stroke that India conceded in the 18th minute. India quickly counter-attacked and earned a PC, but Australia's defence deflected the drag flick. Both teams then traded PCs before Patrick Andrew broke the deadlock in the 29th minute with a brilliant reverse hit from the left flank, leaving India stunned. Just before half-time, India had a chance to equalise through a PC, but the Australian goalkeeper padded the ball to safety. Australia extended their lead to 2-0 in the 33rd minute when Daykin Stanger deflected a reverse hit into the net. This setback forced India to rethink their attack to close the gap. Australia then scored a third goal when Daykin capitalised on a well-constructed play, outwitting the Indian defence to make it 3-0. India desperately searched for a breakthrough, but Australia's defence remained firm, denying India's efforts in the final quarter. Special recognition goes to Australian goalkeeper Hunter Banyard, who was exceptional throughout, making several crucial saves to frustrate India's strikers. In the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Banyard made a diving save to deny Dilraj's shot on goal. To compound India's woes, Daykin completed his hat-trick in the 53rd minute. With the score at 4-0 and only seven minutes remaining, India sought a consolation goal but were unable to find the net. (ANI)
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