Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
India lack punch against Wales, make crossovers
Needing a big victory, hosts beat Wales 4-2 to end second in their group; will face NZ for a spot in quarters
BHUBANESWAR: Target: Victory by eight goals. Result: Won by two. India were cagey, under pressure, error-prone and lacked punch but they still managed to get the job done and advance in the World Cup.
Though they had set out to win by an eight-goal margin to directly qualify for the quarter-finals, they will face New Zealand here on Sunday following a 4-2 victory against debutant Wales in their final Pool D contest.
England, who hammered Spain 4-0 in the other Pool D match earlier on Thursday, made the last eight directly while India finished second and Spain third with Wales knocked out but not before giving the hosts a tough fight, also scoring two goals for the first time in a World Cup match.
For India, the midfield — in the absence of the injured Hardik Singh — stepped up to create enough opportunities for the forward line with experienced campaigner Akashdeep Singh (33rd, 46th) scoring a brace after Shamsher Singh’s opener in the 22nd minute. More importantly, the monkey is off the back for India captain and primary dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh, who finally scored for the first time in this World Cup when he slid in India’s fourth and final goal in the final minute.
Drag-flicker Gareth Furlong (43th) scored Wales’s first goal off a penalty corner (PC). There was pin-drop silence in the final minute of the third quarter when Jacob Draper (45th) scored off a rebound during a PC to level the contest at 2-2. “The way we had planned we didn’t play the first two quarters but we did well in the end. For now, we have to get ready for the prequarterfinal. We will analyse, after watching the videos, what all we need to do to progress further in the tournament. We will improve accordingly,” said Player of the Match Akashdeep.
“Our plan was to play our normal game, put the scoreboard pressure on them from the start which didn’t happen. We didn’t get a goal in the first quarter
Akashdeep Singh (right) vies for possession with Wales’ Luke Hawker on Thursday.
TODAY’S RESULTS Pool D:
Pool C: because of which we were playing attacking hockey. But we bettered our game in the third and fourth quarter.”
India had a mountain to climb if they wanted to earn the top spot in Pool D. It was the pressure of scoring that didn’t allow them to execute their plans.
Knowing they were playing their last competitive game of the tournament before moving to Rourkela for the 9-16 position classification playoffs, the Lewis Prosser-led Welsh squad came out in an attacking mood, making penetrations into the Indian striking circle at every opportunity.
As India searched for more goals, Wales got chances to launch their own counters which reached its zenith in the third quarter.
The British outfit scored from two of the three PC attempts they got in the third quarter — also in the match — as Wales stunned the crowd by levelling the scores.
The Welsh team regularly crowded the hosts throughout the contest, especially in the striking circles.
When they attacked, from the defenders to strikers, everyone barring the goalkeeper pressed towards the shooting circle. When they defended, all 11 were in their own circle, defending against India.
Their not-worrying-aboutcounterattack strategy fired back as all of India’s goals came on counterattacks.
“England did a pretty good job. Made it a lot more difficult. I told the team not to worry, just play well. We played well in patches. If you don’t finish the game, that’s what happens. They are a good team when you give them a chance,” said India chief coach Graham Reid.
“We now have got a crossover game versus New Zealand. That’s going to be tough. We have played them here and in the Pro League. They will come out like Wales did, energised.”
Significantly, Reid said that Hardik, who didn’t play due to a hamstring strain he suffered against England, is likely to be back in the crossover contest against New Zealand.
Dutch beat Chile 14-0 for biggest victory margin in World Cup history
BHUBANESWAR: Hockey powerhouse Netherlands hammered debutants Chile 14-0 in the final Pool C game of the World Cup. Jip Janssen scored four goals for Netherlands.
The scoreline is the biggest margin of victory in the quadrennial event, eclipsing Australia’s 12-0 victory over South Africa in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi.
Fourteen goals is also second in the list of most goals scored in a World Cup match with 15 being the highest when Pakistan beat New Zealand 12-3 in Mumbai 1982. Netherlands advanced to the quarters by topping Pool C with nine points while Malaysia and New Zealand will play the crossovers after ending second and third. Chile were eliminated.