Hockey World Cup 2018: India maul Canada 5-1 to sail into quarter-finals

India defeated Canada 5-1 to to end their pool campaign on a rousing note and sail into the quarter-finals of the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018 on Saturday.

Image Credits: Twitter/@TheHockeyIndia

India on Saturday defeated Canada 5-1 to end their pool campaign on a rousing note and sail into the quarter-finals of the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018.

India scored five goals with attacker Harmanpreet Singh opening the account early on. Amit Rohidas and Chinglen Kangujam also scored a goal apiece. 

However, Lalit Upadhyay was the man to watch out for, scoring two goals in a sensational performance. He was also named as the man of the match.       

While the Indian strikers were on target, the defenders further produced an excellent performance in the heart of defence to keep the opposition under control. 

However, there was certainly a moment of concern in store for the hosts following a stunning goal by Canada attacker Floris Van Son.    

Here are the live-match updates:

# India have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Hockey World Cup 2018 following an emphatic 5-1 win against Canada!

# Goal! India make it 5-1 against Canada following a sublime finish by Lalit Upadhyay who has been excellent so far in the clash! India will sail into the quarters with a win against Canada. India 5-1 Canada  

# With nearly nine minutes left on the clock, India have scored yet again with a sublime goal by Amit Rohidas who stamps his authority with a sublime goal which leaves the Canadian goalkeeper with no room to defend. India 4-1 Canada

# India are looking to capitalise on some poor defensive gameplay by the Canada defenders who are struggling to comtain the opposition attackers

# Goal! The hosts enjoy a two goal advantage against Canada following a brilliant effort by Lalit Upadhyay who has been in sublime form for India throughout the tournament! India 3-1 Canada 

# Goal! India lead the clash yet again following an excellent shot by Chinglensana who has made his presence felt for India when it mattered the most. India 2-1 Canada 

# The fourth quarter is all set to kick off! 

# The third quarter has ended with the scoreline reading 1-1 at this stage! 

# Canada are dominating the clash, with some fine counter-attacking gameplay.  

# Goal! Canada have equalised against India following a brilliant counter attack where they have caught the opposition defenders by surprise, breathing lift into the clash! Floris Van Son is the goalscorer! India 1-1 Canada 

# India are attempting to snatch the second goal on the break against Canada but struggling to do so against a disciplined Canada defence which is looking to intercept every pass in an excellent fashion! 

# Start of third quarter!

# India lead 1-0 against Canada at half time!

# End of Second Quarter! 

# With just a minute left on the clock, Canada are down to 10 players after a yellow card is shown to James Wallace! 

# Just five minutes left for the end of the second clash and the Canada defence is under extreme pressure from the Indian attackers who seem intent on ensuring a hefty lead for India by half-time!  

# Manpreet Singh fails to latch on to a beautiful aerial pass by Harmanpreet Singh, which could have very resulted in a 2-0 lead for India! 

# Ian Smythe has been handed a green card! 

# India attempt to catch the opposition by surprise with some creative gameplay and aerial passing. The visitors are struggling to make their presence felt, at this stage, on the back of a tidy performance so far by the defenders!   

# The second quarter is underway! 

# India lead 1-0 against Canada at the end of the first quarter! 

# However, Akashdeep Singh fails to get the ball away in time, resulting in a botched opportunity and just a goal's advantage for India!  

# With just 2 minutes left for the end of the first quarter, India have been gifted another penalty corner and will be looking to double the lead 

# Goal! India lead in the clash having capitalised on a short penalty corner to score the opening goal. Harmanpreet Singh is the hero for India! India 1-0 Canada

12' GOAL! @13harmanpreet executes a stunning low shot to score India's first!

IND 1-0 CAN#INDvCAN #IndiaKaGame #HWC2018 #DilHockey pic.twitter.com/4bNyXUlWvx — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) December 8, 2018

# India have started dominating against Canada from the very first minute with excellent passing and coordination maintained. The visitors are struggling to control the opposition attack which has been in a great form so far in the tournament!   

Here’s the Starting Lineup for India as they are all set to face @FieldHockeyCan in their final game of Pool C of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. #INDvCAN #IndiaKaGame #HWC2018 #DilHockey pic.twitter.com/5iTwdJfKw9 — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) December 8, 2018

With 3 goals under his belt, all eyes will be on Simranjeet Singh when Indian Men's Team takes on Canada at the last pool-stage encounter of the OHMWC Bhubaneswar 2018 on 8th December. #IndiaKaGame #DilHockey #HWC2018 #INDvCAN pic.twitter.com/n4xzvGMyUe — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) December 8, 2018

India are currently placed on top of Pool C and will be looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the last clash against Canada. 

The hosts are placed ahead of Belgium on account of a better goal difference (+4) with the latter taking on South Africa at the same time. 

The table toppers from each of the four pools will quality for the quarterfinals directly while the second and third-placed sides play the cross-overs in order to land a spot in the quarterfinals. 

"We interpret a picture as we see it. Our target is to top the pool irrespective of the result of Belgium versus South Africa game. Our fate is in our own hands," said India coach Harendra Singh.

"We are still on the second floor, they (Canada) are in the basement (in terms of position in the pool and goal difference). Let them come up to our level, then we will see. Our goal average is a lot better.

"We expect two things. One, I need to finish on top. The other, I want a clean sheet and no goals scored against India," he added.

Canada coach Paul Bundy on the other hand stated that work ethics will play a key role in determining his side's qualification. 

"The last couple of results (against India) have been in favour of both teams. Lost won, drew one and won one. I think our work ethics is key. If we stick to our game plan I think we are hard to break," he said. 

"We are very opportunistic as well. We have a good penalty corner unit. We have strikers who are very dangerous as well. I think that creates a little doubt in the higher ranked teams," he added. 

The two squads are as follows:

India: Manpreet Singh (C), PR Sreejesh (GK), Krishna Bahadur Pathak (GK), Harmanpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra, Varun Kumar, Kothajit Singh Khadangbam, Surender Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Sumit, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and Simranjeet Singh.

Canada: Scott Tupper (C), David Carter (GK), Antoni Kindler (GK), Brandon Pereira, Gordon Johnston, Keegan Pereira, Matthew Sarmento, Iain Smythe, James Kirkpatrick, Oliver Scholfield, Mark Pearson, Sukhi Panesarbc, Gabe Ho-Garcia, John Smythe, Richard Hildreth, Brednen Bissett, Jamie Wallace, Balraj Panesar