Hockey World Cup

World Cup Hockey: India, England Miss Chances Galore, Settle For Goalless Draw

By
OB Bureau

Rourkela: India and England missed chances galore before settling for a 0-0 draw in their World Cup Hockey 2023 clash at Birsa Munda International Stadium here on Sunday evening.

Both teams have 4 points, but England lead the table thanks to a better goal difference (+5 against India’s +2).

In a fast-paced game, England earned seven penalty corners in the first half, but failed to beat a quick running Indian defence led by local star Amit Rohidas.

The Indians forced three penalty corners in the final five minutes of the second quarter, but Harmanpreet and Rohidas were thwarted by England goalie Oliver Payne and the defenders.

India may not have got too many penalty corners, but they launched a series of swift attacks. Three fantastic saves by Payne and a couple of easy tap-in misses near the goalline prevented the home team from scoring.

Payne was adjudged Player of the Match.

England had their best chance to score a field goal nine minutes into the third quarter. Sam Ward moved in menacingly and found himself in a one-on one situation with P R Sreejesh. As the Indian custodian left his charge to put pressure on Ward, the Englishman sent the ball wide of the goalpost.

With just 19 seconds remaining on the clock, India had a mighty scare after conceding an eighth penalty corner. An England player’s hit struck the goalpost and rebounded, allowing Indian defence to clear the ball.

India face minnows Wales in the final league game on January 19 at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium, while England will clash with Spain.

The group toppers will qualify directly for the quarterfinals, while the Nos 2 and 3 will go through to the Crossovers, which are virtual pre-quarterfinals.

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Another Stone Falls From Jagannath Temple At Khallikote In Odisha’s Ganjam

Berhampur: A stone weighing 2 kg fell from the ‘Singhadwara Gumuta’ of the Lord Jagannath…

November 14, 2024

Sunita Williams Dismisses Rumours About Weight Loss, Explains Her ‘Sunken Cheeks’

New Delhi: Recent pictures of Space Station Commander Sunita Williams from the International Space Station…

November 14, 2024

Payal Rohatgi Calls Out Rupali Ganguly For Dating A Married Man

Mumbai: Actress Rupali Ganguly recently filed a Rs 50 crore defamation case against her stepdaughter…

November 14, 2024

National Hockey: Odisha To Clash With Manipur In Semifinals

Chennai: Odisha will face Manipur in the semifinals of the 14th Hockey India Senior Men’s…

November 14, 2024

India To Push Canada For Extradition Of Arrested Khalistani Terrorist Arsh Dalla

New Delhi: India will again ask Canada for the extradition of designated Khalistani terrorist Arshdeep Singh…

November 14, 2024

School Dropout From West Bengal Arrested For Practising As Ayurvedic Doctor In Odisha’s Berhampur

Berhampur: Police have arrested a man from West Bengal for allegedly claiming himself to be…

November 14, 2024

Manoj Bajpayee Recalls Staying In ‘Hell’, Experiencing Starvation

Mumbai: Carving a niche for himself in Bollywood was not a cakewalk for ‘The Family…

November 14, 2024

After Disapproving Of Ranveer, Mukesh Khanna Rejects Tiger Shroff For ‘Shakitmaan’

Mumbai: Mukesh Khanna’s Indian superhero series ‘Shaktimaan’ has been making headlines for quite some time…

November 14, 2024