<p>Ahmedabad: The Indian men’s water polo team’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage took a serious dent on Sunday as they went down 11-19 to Thailand in their second group match at the Asian Aquatics Championships here. The defeat came barely a day after the side’s 8-20 loss to World No. 26 Singapore, leaving India winless after two games.</p>.<p>The back-to-back defeats have thrown the hosts’ quarterfinal chances in doubt, especially since Thailand were considered the most beatable side in a group that also features powerhouses Japan and Kazakhstan.</p>.<p>Underdogs India, who need to finish among the top four in the five-nation pool, are now staring at an uphill task to stay alive in the competition. A top-four finish would also ensure automatic qualification for next year’s Asian Games.</p>.Water polo teams go down to Singapore.<p>Despite being unranked, India showed some spark early in the contest. Wing forward Uday Utekar opened the scoring to give the home side an early lead before Thailand’s Jiramate Paedpeenong responded with two quick goals, including one from a penalty, to swing the momentum away.</p>.<p>Gaurav Mahajani’s equaliser gave the Indian crowd something to cheer for, but Thailand’s Suteenan Kaewmanee struck just before the first-quarter buzzer to restore his side’s advantage. The home team showed fight in the next period, with Ankit Prasad converting a penalty and Utekar adding his second. Yet Kaewmanee’s precision kept the Thais ahead as the quarter ended 4-4.</p>.<p>It was all downhill from there as Thailand launched an unrelenting attack, scoring seven goals in three minutes to storm to an 11-4 lead by halftime. India’s defence crumbled under pressure, and repeated errors in front of goal made matters worse.</p>.<p>Though the Indians pressed forward in the closing stages, poor finishing and unnecessary fouls handed Thailand several easy penalties. By the final whistle, the visitors sealed a comfortable 19-11 win.</p>.<p>With the loss, India remain the only team in Group A without a point, while the other four teams sit tied on three points each. The hosts next face table-toppers Kazakhstan, needing nothing short of an upset to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive.</p>.<p><strong>Results: Men:</strong> India: 11 lt to Thailand: 19; Japan: 12 lt to Kazakhstan: 14; Iran: 22 bt Hong Kong, China: 10.</p>.<p><strong>Women: </strong>Uzbekistan: 13 lt to Japan: 27; Hong Kong: 2 lt to China: 28.</p>
<p>Ahmedabad: The Indian men’s water polo team’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage took a serious dent on Sunday as they went down 11-19 to Thailand in their second group match at the Asian Aquatics Championships here. The defeat came barely a day after the side’s 8-20 loss to World No. 26 Singapore, leaving India winless after two games.</p>.<p>The back-to-back defeats have thrown the hosts’ quarterfinal chances in doubt, especially since Thailand were considered the most beatable side in a group that also features powerhouses Japan and Kazakhstan.</p>.<p>Underdogs India, who need to finish among the top four in the five-nation pool, are now staring at an uphill task to stay alive in the competition. A top-four finish would also ensure automatic qualification for next year’s Asian Games.</p>.Water polo teams go down to Singapore.<p>Despite being unranked, India showed some spark early in the contest. Wing forward Uday Utekar opened the scoring to give the home side an early lead before Thailand’s Jiramate Paedpeenong responded with two quick goals, including one from a penalty, to swing the momentum away.</p>.<p>Gaurav Mahajani’s equaliser gave the Indian crowd something to cheer for, but Thailand’s Suteenan Kaewmanee struck just before the first-quarter buzzer to restore his side’s advantage. The home team showed fight in the next period, with Ankit Prasad converting a penalty and Utekar adding his second. Yet Kaewmanee’s precision kept the Thais ahead as the quarter ended 4-4.</p>.<p>It was all downhill from there as Thailand launched an unrelenting attack, scoring seven goals in three minutes to storm to an 11-4 lead by halftime. India’s defence crumbled under pressure, and repeated errors in front of goal made matters worse.</p>.<p>Though the Indians pressed forward in the closing stages, poor finishing and unnecessary fouls handed Thailand several easy penalties. By the final whistle, the visitors sealed a comfortable 19-11 win.</p>.<p>With the loss, India remain the only team in Group A without a point, while the other four teams sit tied on three points each. The hosts next face table-toppers Kazakhstan, needing nothing short of an upset to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive.</p>.<p><strong>Results: Men:</strong> India: 11 lt to Thailand: 19; Japan: 12 lt to Kazakhstan: 14; Iran: 22 bt Hong Kong, China: 10.</p>.<p><strong>Women: </strong>Uzbekistan: 13 lt to Japan: 27; Hong Kong: 2 lt to China: 28.</p>