In the 5th-8th place classification match of the FIH Hockey5s men’s World Cup on Tuesday, Uttam Singh scored a hat-trick to help the Indian men’s hockey team defeat Kenya 9–4. Uttam scored three goals in the fifth, twenty-sixth, and twenty-sixth minutes, while the other Indian scorers were Manjeet (sixth), Pawan Rajbhar (10th), Mandeep Mor (15th), Mohammed Raheel (17th, 25th, and 28th), and Gurjot Singh (28th). The goal scorers for Kenya were captain Ivan Ludiali (24th) and Moses Ademba (12th, 14th, 27th). India seized control of the game early on, posing several challenges to Kenya’s goalie in the first few minutes.
Kenya attempted to retaliate, but India continued to play aggressively. When Uttam and Manjeet scored in rapid succession to give India an early lead, that was the turning point for India. Moses Ademba scored two goals quickly to close the score for Kenya.
India then took a 4-2 lead into halftime thanks to a goal from Mandeep. India increased their lead in the second half as Raheel scored on a counterattack.
India’s strategy was to stop Kenya from rallying by concentrating on quick passes and ball possession. Even so, India won when Raheel, Uttam, and Gurjot scored goals to extend their lead. Kenya’s Ludiali scored a goal and Moses Ademba finished with a hat-trick.
On Wednesday, India will compete in the tournament’s fifth–sixth place match.
