India sink Canada with late surge, enter quarters
Hosts were locked 1-1 before they broke shackles in final quarter with four goals
BHUBANESWAR: There is something Harendra Singh and his coaching staff must be telling the Indian team during breaks that turns them into a different unit altogether. It was seen during the Belgium game when they looked down and out but made a comeback to draw 2-2 last Sunday. And it was seen yet again on Saturday when the hosts thrashed Canada 5-1 to earn a direct ticket to the World Cup quarter-finals from Pool C.
But unlike what the scoreline suggests, India did not look like a top team for three quarters of the match. It was only in the last quarter with the score 1-1 that the world No 5 outfit really came into their own to punch in four goals in the span of 11 minutes to top Pool C.
BELGIUM WIN TOO
By virtue of the win and, after Belgium crushed South Africa 5-1, India top Pool C with seven points like the Red Lions but a superior goal difference saw the hosts enter the last-8 directly. Secondplaced Belgium and third-placed Canada will have to tread the crossovers as South Africa was knocked out.
India got quite a few chances at the start but could not convert until the 12th minute when Harmanpreet Singh finally got the monkey off his back with a grounded flick to his left, scoring his first goal of the tournament.
But then began a dull period where Canada matched India at every step. The North Americans put in all their resources in defending and when the moment arose, they attacked.
Perhaps India also were content with a 1-0 lead, knowing it would be enough for a last-8 entry, which is why they did not press more.skipper Manpreet Singh was in top form unlike the rest of his team and despite not being in the best of health, created chances for the forwards.
World No 11 Canada too kept trying and did not let go despite Iain Smythe (green) and James Wallace (yellow) being carded in the third quarter. But Wallace made his presence felt immediately after his five-minute suspension as he fed a superb ball to Floris van Son (39th), who only had India ’keeper PR Sreejesh to evade before putting the ball in.
The impact showed. India appeared deterred and under pressure. Canada started making more penetrations with Sreejesh barking out instructions to his defenders. Then came the all-important break before the final 15 minutes. Harendra was giving out instructions to the team, which returned a different unit.
Within seconds of the whistle, Kothajit Singh created the ball of the match, dodging three defenders to strike the ball. It hit goalkeeper Antoni Kindler’s leg, rebounded, went straight to vicecaptain Chinglensana Singh (46th) whose strike put India ahead 2-1.Man of the Match’ Lalit Upadhyay (47th) soon poached a ball and made it 3-1.
India got another penalty corner four minutes later which was taken by local boy Amit Rohidas, who converted not by a drag-flick but by a strike, not seen much nowadays. Canada were reduced to 10 men in the last five minutes with James Kirkpatrick getting a yellow. India made full use of it as Sumit passed the ball to Lalit, who made it 5-1 for India.