IPOH (MALAYSIA), March 9: India�s hopes of a podium finish were dashed as they squandered lead on two occasions and went down 2-3 to Ireland in the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament here today.
Having grabbed the lead on two occasions (1-0 in the 10th minute and 2-1 in the 26th minute), the Indian men�s team fumbled in the end in their last round-robin match.
Ramandeep Singh (10) and Amit Rohidas (26) scored for India while Shane O�Donoghue (24), Sean Murray (36) and Lee Cole (42) struck for Ireland.
After rekindling their hopes of making the final with a convincing 5-1 win against Malaysia in their previous match, India looked for another win on the trot and got off to a start that reflected their intent.
Playing structured and disciplined hockey, India won a penalty corner in the 10th minute. Varun Kumar was at the first battery but it was Ramandeep who came up with a great finish to direct the flick into the net with a tap after he had injected the ball perfectly for the dragflicker. � PTI