Argentina stopped a surging India in their stride at the Azlan Shah hockey tournament as they won the final 2-1 in extra time in Ipoh, Malaysia on Sunday. A brace by Mario Almada saw the South Americans lift the trophy on their third attempt.
Drag-flicker Sandeep Singh put India in the lead when he converted a penalty corner in the 11th minute and finished as the highest scorer in the tournament with nine goals.
Argentina draw level when Mario Almada slammed in a goal from close range in the 14th minute. The final minutes of the first half saw a skirmish, after a botched Argentine penalty corner, but no cards were flashed.
The match turned mechanical in the second half, as both sides persisted on defense. Argentina were the more dangerous side in the last five minutes, but failed to break the deadlock, and the match went into extra-time.
In the first minute itself, the golden goal came off a Almada deflection.
Argentina had also beaten India 5-1 earlier in the league encounter.
The tournament was established in 1983, but Argentina made their debut in 2006 and ended seventh, and last year their were placed fifth. Both times, eight teams featured in the tournament.
New Zealand [Images] won the bronze when they beat Pakistan 2-1 while Canada [Images] edged out Belgium 4-3 to save the embarassment of finishing last.
