India thump Ireland to finish fifth in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey

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Ipoh (Malaysia): India finished fifth at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament with a 4-1 thrashing of Ireland on Saturday. Varun Kumar scored twice from penalty corners while Shilanand Lakra and Gurjant Singh got the other goals for India.

Julian Dale exploited some poor marking by the Indian defenders to get a consolation goal for the European minnows in the final quarter. India thus avenged the 2-3 loss to Ireland in their last league stage match on Friday which had eliminated their already slim chances of qualifying for the medal rounds.

Ireland finished sixth in the tournament. Saturday`s match capped a rather insipid campaign for India during which the only positive results were a 5-1 rout of hosts Malaysia and a 1-1 draw with European powerhouse England.