India defeated arch-rival Pakistan 4-2 on penalties to win the Men’s Hockey Gold Medal at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. The high-octane clash ended 1-1 after normal time and in the shoot-out, India scored 4 out of 5 penalties to win the game.
The win seals a direct entry for India into the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and was also sweet revenge for the 2-1 defeat to Pakistan in the group stages of the tournament.
It is also interesting to note that the last time these two sides met in the final of the Asian Games was in 1982 in New Delhi where Pakistan emerged with a shock 7-1 win. Indian goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi was castigated after that defeat, and Shah Rukh Khan’s character in Chak De India is believed to be based on Negi’s story.
