India and England fail to capitalise on chances, remain in contention for direct quarterfinals berth
ROURKELA: In modern international hockey, goalless draws are few and far between. India hadn't played one at the World Cup in five decades. The last time they went Dutch -without scoring-was at the 1973 World Cup in their second group match against West Germany.
For a few heart-stopping moments, 19 seconds to be precise, before the final hooter it looked like India would slip up and concede an infamous dying moments goal. But it was not to be as Indian defender Surender Kumar denied dangerman Nicholas Banurak.
In an edge-of-the seat thriller, India and England split points in the big-ticket clash at the Bisra Munda hockey stadium here on Sunday night. While there were heroes in the defence for India, one man who stood between the home team and a possible win was England goalkeeper Oliver Payne, who was fittingly declared the man of the match.
Playing in his maiden World Cup, Payne was in a league of his own. The 20-year-old was exemplary in reflexes, reaction and agility. His stickwork against the rising ball complemented his deft footwork against pace.
The must-win contest of Pool 'D' lived up to the promise of being pacey, aggressive and attacking, the only element both teams missed out on was scoring.
In the first two quarters, while India had more circle penetrations (17) as compared to England (11), the latter enjoyed greater ball possession. Thisoutlined Indian attackers' lack of ball control again. They were slipshod in their approach and the relay between the defence and attack was anything but fluent. Also, with both teams playing high press, the home team strikers were guilty of not using the flanks.
The initial lapse in defence cost India seven penalty corners in quick succession in the first 30 minutes, but goalkeepers' PR Sreejesh and Krishan Pathak were ably supported by the defenders with Manpreet Singh and Amit Rohidas on the money in ball clearance. Given the pace at which England attacked in the first quarter, India were lucky to escape without conceding.
India's best shot at the goal came from Hardik Singh. Reminiscence of his previous goal against Spain, he swept in brilliantly but failed to add finishing touches, especially with Payne being rock-solid under the bar. On a number of occasions, Mandeep and Akashdeep burst into the striking circle but either failed to find support or the ball was hit wide.
In the last quarter, India survived waves of attacks from the opposition, who enjoyed 73% ball possession, especially with Rohidas and Jarmanpreet pegging the team back by earning green cards in the final eight minutes.
Such was the intensity that a few players took hits and picked up injuries, with Hardik's hamstring injury being the biggest concern. With the draw, India and England both have four points, with the latter topping Pool 'D' on goal difference.
