New Zealand beats India in Hockey World Cup crossover
Published by: Anwesha Adhikary | Posted: January 22, 2023 9:08 pm| Updated: January 22, 2023 9:18 pm
India: 3
New Zealand: 3
New Zealand won the penalty shoot out.
News Daily Digital Desk: India went undefeated in the group stage of the Hockey World Cup to play the crossover match. Opponent New Zealand (New Zealamd) was not at all good. They came third in their group against India. However, the Kiwis were evenly matched against a strong team. The match went to penalty shoot out. New Zealand had the last laugh in a tense match. India’s dream of winning the World Cup remained elusive.
Hardik Singh, one of the hopes of the team, has been knocked out of the World Cup due to injury. On top of that conceding two goals against Wales, the weakest team in the group. All in all, national coach Graham Reid had several thoughts on his forehead before going into the crossover match. But Mandeep Singh shook off all the worries outside the field and started playing. The Indians kept possession of the match in their own hands by advancing in the ball position. However, the Kiwis stormed in the last quarter. Host nation India was knocked out of the tournament in a penalty shoot out.
[আরও পড়ুন: ডুয়ার্সে খেলা চলাকালীন মৃত্যু বাংলাদেশের প্রাক্তন ফুটবলারের, প্রশ্নের মুখে আয়োজকদের ভূমিকা]
India put the Kiwi defenders under pressure from the start of Sunday’s match. The opposing players were surrounding the Indian forwards as they tried to shoot at the goal. India got a penalty corner in the first quarter but could not score. The first quarter ended scoreless. But India regained its composure in the second quarter. Lalit put the team ahead with a goal after 18 minutes. After four minutes, Neelkant Sharma took a shot aiming at the goal. Although the goal was scored first, the umpire decided to cancel it due to the opponent’s review. India got a penalty corner in the 25th minute. The goalkeeper lost his position while trying to save Harmanpreet’s shot. Sukhjit crossed the goal line by touching the stick on the return ball. But within three minutes, New Zealand reduced the gap.
After halftime, the Indians were more aggressive on the field. India’s third goal came after 41 minutes. However, despite falling behind, New Zealand did not lose heart. In the 44th minute, they scored a goal from a penalty corner. Throughout the last quarter, only the power of the black jersey holders. In the 50th minute, New Zealand got a penalty corner again. Sean Findlay was not so wrong to score. The match that was almost won is about to be lost from the hands of India. The match was decided by a penalty shootout. Both teams scored three of the first five shots. As a result, the second phase of the penalty shoot out began. New Zealand finally won by going to sudden death.
[আরও পড়ুন: বেজে উঠেছে রাহুল-আথিয়ার বিয়ের সানাই, গায়ে হলুদ-মেহেন্দির দিনই জমকালো ককটেল পার্টি]
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