Potent attack, leaky defence but with some love and stability from coach Reid, India are ready for Hockey world cup
A couple of days ago, as the towering stands cast their shadows on the turf and the wind chill pricked, the Indian team walked around 150m from their accommodation to the centre of the pitch inside the Birsa Munda Stadium and sat near the centre circle.
“It’s dark, no one else is there, just us,” Graham Reid, the India coach, set the scene.
For the next hour or so, they had a series of heart-to-heart conversations: veterans recalling their past World Cup experiences; new faces sharing their dreams; and all of them sharing everything they’ve been through as a group en route to the World Cup, where India open their campaign against Spain on Friday.
Reid never leaves anything to chance when it comes to prepping for a major tournament. Once, ahead of the Rio Olympics, he had the Australian players sit in a bus for nearly an hour to prepare them for a situation where their bus loses way, a bizarre situation that is not uncommon at the Games. [Read More]
Hockey World Cup: Coach Caldas says Spain are ‘well-prepared to debut against India in front of 20,000 people’
The 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup kicks off in Odisha on Friday, and hosts India will take on Spain on the opening day in Rourkela. In the buildup to the marquee fixture, Spain coach Max Caldas has said that despite taking on heavy home favourites and a heavily partisan crowd, his side are well-prepared for the clash.
“We have a very diverse group, with youth and experience. We have penalties, goalkeepers, various resources for when the games don’t come to a head, and a great desire to be Spain and fight for the medals,” he was quoted as saying by MARCA. “The preparation has gone as we wanted and we are well-prepared for what is coming, also to debut against India in a stadium with 20,000 people.” [Read More]
India Kick-Off Their WC Campaign With 2-0 Win Over Spain. So that means three points in the bag for the men in blue. Remember they played 10 min with 10 man and showed great defending skills. The score of 2-0 does not do justice to the way India played because they could have easily got two more goals.
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Abhishek is back on the pitch as India survive the 10 minute period. Another PC for Spain but they are unable to convert.
Spain continue to fnd spaces and try to draw the Indian defenders forward. They get a PC!!! India opt for a referral. Krishan Pathak denies Cunill. This has been the point of difference between the two teams - While India has converted one of their six PCs, Spain have fumbled on both
A yellow card for Abhishek and India are down to ten players now. Can Spain capitalize on this?
Last quarter coming up. The way India has played in the field, they could've easily been 4-0 at least. The finishing hasn't been clinical. But the passing has been quite good.
India continue to lead Spain 2-0 in their opening Pool D match.
A beautiful move by India, they kept possession and the ball was crossed in from the right and Shamsher on the second post missed it completely. How on earth did he miss that?
India get another penalty corner but the shot is deflected wide and Spain will heave a sigh of relief.
Yellow card for Spain and that will be a five minute suspension for Marc Reyne.
Penlaty for India! It was a hack from behind on Akashdeep and the men in blue get a penalty stroke. Harmanpreet to take it but its SAVED! OH NO! There is a review but NO-GOAL it is.
Right at the end of the second quarter, Alvaro Iglesias misses a golden chance right in front of goal. That could have given Spain a much-needed goal. And with that its halftime. India leading 2-0.
Hardik Singh helps India double their lead, courtesy of a fantastic run from the left side and then the shot was well taken which seemingly came off a defender's stick. But it doesn not matter as long as it is in the net. 4 minutes left in Q2
Spain continue to build pressure and a poor tackle by Shamsher leads to a PC. Good shot on goal but Krishan Pathak does well
Now Spain are trying to get in front with Miralles providing a good ball into the India circle but Iglesias cant do much from it. A minute later, Spain find space down the right flank, but Amit Rohidas is there to clear the danger.
End of Q1 and start of Q2, it’s been the hosts are stamping their authority within the first five minutes into Q2! India are keeping hold of the possession as well.
Referee blows the whilstle and thats the end of the first quarter and India are leading 1-0, courtesy of Rohidas!
Local lad Amit Rohidas scores for India and that is also one for the record books as India bags its 200th goal of the WC. India take lead with 2 minutes left in the first quarter.
India win a penalty corner after Shamsher Singh controls the ball nicely. . Jarmanpreet goes for the hit and it is wide
Spain are dominating possession from the start but its slowly becoming a midfield battle. So far India have attempted four circle penetrations and Spain have done it thrice.
India builds an attack from the right, but the ball goes out of the backline. For the first time the ball was inside the Spanish circle from Harmanpreet Singh.
And we are underway with the first quarter and it is Spain on the front foot as they get a shot on goal within the first 60 seconds. But no damage done for India. IND 0-0 ESP
First up is Spain follow by India and a loud cheer erupts around the ground. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik greets the players as well. We are moments away from live action
Hockey fever has gripped the country's cradle of the sport with thousands of people turning up to witness the men's World Cup match between England and Wales at the magnificent Birsa Munda stadium on the opening day on Friday. The 21,000-capacity stadium, named after an Indian tribal freedom fighter, is said to be the biggest hockey venue in the world, and true to the tradition of the state, a sea of spectators came to watch the Pool D match. The Sundergarh region of Odisha, of which Rourkela is the largest city, is considered the cradle of Indian hockey as it has produced more than 60 international players, both men and women, including captains like the current Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey.
It’s not a coincidence that Indian hockey’s biggest triumph in 40 years came in front of empty stands.
The team, led by Manpreet Singh, ended decades of hurt by stepping onto the podium at the Tokyo Olympics, a tournament played without spectators due to the strict pandemic protocols.
As they return to big-time hockey for the first time since winning the Olympic bronze, the situation couldn’t be starker – India will play their opening match of the World Cup against Spain in front of what is set to be one of the biggest crowds at a hockey match in the country, at one of the biggest hockey stadiums in the world. (READ MORE)
When Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for a new hockey stadium at Rourkela on February 16, 2021 — in the middle of a pandemic — and announced that it would be a second venue for the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup, many, even within the government, were sceptical about its timely completion. So much so that the International Hockey Federation had to give the state a deadline of November 30 to complete the main structure and lay the turf.
For two years since then, over 1,200 migrant workers — many of them from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal — worked round the clock in three shifts to construct the stadium. And less than three weeks before the first match, the grand saucer-shaped steel structure, with a seating capacity of around 21,000, stands tall over 16 acres of land. (READ MORE)
From Odisha village without electricity to hockey World Cup spotlight - READ the incredible journey of Nilam Xess
India 2-2 Spain
India 2-3 Spain
India 3-5 Spain
India 5-4 Spain
India 3-0 Spain
Total matches: 31
India win: 13
Spain win: 11
Draws: 7
India will open its Hockey World Cup campaign tomorrow vs Spain at the state of the art Birsa Munda Stadium Stadium in Rourkela.