Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the Indian men’s hockey team’s second Group D match against England at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023. This was Nihit Sachdeva taking you through live action as it unfolded at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
Plenty of opportunities for both teams but at the same time, both defensive units stayed strong. After a goalless draw, England stays at top of Group D with four points. India, also on four points, is second due to inferior goal difference. In order to top the group and confirm direct qualification for quarterfinals, India may have to beat Wales by a big margin in its final group match in Bhubaneswar.
READ: Hardik Singh goes off field with injury during India vs England
Full-time hooter is on. The 21,800 spectators at the Birsa Munda Stadium got to watch some really exciting hockey but unfortunately, no goals. England goalkeeper Oliver Payne is the Player of the Match.
With 19 seconds left on the clock, England has a PC but like the rest of the match, it fails to convert this one as well.
Last two minutes. India taking its time. Sukhjeet goes down looking to receive the pass inside the England circle. David Goodfield is down as Sukhjeet collided with him while going for the ball. Moments later, Manpreet Singh is hit in the face by the ball after a deflection off Roper’s stick.
England with the possession. Circle entry done right. Waller passes it to the near post from the baseline but it is cleared behind by an Indian player. Waller has used the referral asking for a PC, claiming intentional clearance from Nilam Sanjeep Xess. The original decision stands. Long corner for England.
Jarmanpreet Singh is off after getting a green card. Nervous next two minutes for India.
Manpreet looks to put the ball into the circle from the right flank but Sam Ward blocks it.
Hardik Singh is down after a brilliant tackle from Sanford. Hardik seems to have some trouble in the left knee and has been taken off the field.
Shot from Wallace from the edge of the circle but it is cleared behind for a short corner. India is back to full strength.
England with a circle entry. Waller with a swing-and-a-miss. England asks for a referral but the official says it is too late.
India down to 10 men as Amit Rohidas is issued a green card.
Acres of space for India to work with. Akashdeep shifts the attack from left flank to right with a pass to Manpreet. Manpreet finds Lalit on the edge of the circle but he loses possession soon.
Foul by Abhishek on Wallace in the midfield.
Multiple circle entries from India in quick succession. Payne is forced to make a save at the near post.
Into the last 15 minutes we go.
Final minute of the third quarter. India has the ball in the back of the net after Harmanpreet’s pass is deflected into the D by Shamsher to Akashdeep who finds Abhishek with the cut-back. Abhishek does tuck the ball over the line but in the process, seems to have committed a foul. India does not have a referral.
Mandeep with the back stick but the effort misses the bottom-left corner.
Thomas Sorsby has been issued a green card which means a two-minute suspension. India needs to make the most of this man-advantage.
MISS - Sam Ward probably with the best chance of the match as he finds himself unmarked inside the D but Sreejesh does well to put pressure on him and close him down. Ward goes for the chip but misses the target.
Hardik with a scintillating run down the middle. He goes past a couple of English players before entering the circle and taking a shot. Payne saves once, and then the rebound again. In the process, Hardik’s stick hit Rushmere in the face and the English player is bleeding heavily. Medical staff has been called on the pitch.
Foul by Calnan on Lalit who was looking to enter the circle. Quick counter-attack from England, Condon in a one-on-one situation against Sreejesh who closes the angle. Tomahawk from Condon misses the top left corner.
Vivek finds himself with the ball inside the opposition D but yet again, clean tackle from England.
Lovely pass down the left flank from Harmanpreet to find Mandeep. Mandeep puts the ball into the circle but Bandurak intercepts the ball heading towards Amit Rohidas behind him.
Second half is underway. India plays from left to right. Attack from India as it makes another circle penetration. Akashdeep takes a hit inside the D which is blocked by Waller. India has used the referral asking for a PC but the video official has ruled that the ball struck Waller above the knee and therefore, it is a free hit for England.
England head coach Paul Revington: “Penalty corners need to be a little bit sharper.”
Indian head coach Graham Reid: “Both teams had their opportunities but we get away with that many Penalty Corners and keep a clean goal.”
The first 30 minutes had a total of 11 Penalty Corners. However, not one of them could be converted courtesy of some solid defending from both sides. Such a close encounter could be decided by a single moment of lapse in concentration. Who will blink first?
The half-time hooter is on. Exhilarating half an hour of hockey but no goals.
Steal from India inside the English half. Mandeep enters the D and tries to pass it to unmarked Akashdeep. English defense blocks it but not quite clearly as India does manage to get a shot on target. Payne with yet another brilliant save, this time down to his left.
Akashdeep presses Sorsby on the edge of the English circle and steal the ball but it is deemed as foul by the official.
Consecutive PCs for India but yet again, English defense does the job. Goalless it is, for now.
India on the charge. Hardik makes his way into the D and goes for the top-left corner but the English goalkeeper Payne saves it with his right hand.
A stunning aerial pass from England. Ward is ahead of the two Indian defenders but Pathak comes forward to close the angle. Ward passes it back but a diving effort from the Indian defense puts the ball away for a counter-attack. Manpreet’s sliding effort inside the D misses the right corner by a whisker.
Excellent 3D skills from Harmanpreet and he earns a PC after a physical obstruction from Park. Hardik injects, Amit Rohidas is the one with the drag-flick this time but it is too high and Hardik, despite controlling the rebound, can’t take the shot.
Akashdeep releases Mandeep through the middle. Mandeep passes it to Hardik on the right but it is a bit too wide. Hardik’s pass into the circle is deemed too high.
Seventh PC for England as Rushmere finds Hardik’s foot with his back-pass inside the D. Change in PC routine as Liam Ansell takes the drag-flick this time but yet again, Amit Rohidas blocks it. Hardik looks to launch a counter-attack but his long pass is not controlled by Akashdeep.
Akashdeep makes the run down the middle as the ball is released from the midfield but a sliding interception from Park saves England.
Aerial pass for Lalit Upadhyay on the edge of the English circle. Lalit controls it but English defenders do not allow him enough space to enter the PC-earning territory.
Penalty Corner for England. Brilliant work from Wallace to control an aerial pass and take it inside the D. His shot is blocked by Krishan Pathak but Calnan earns the PC post the rebound. However, Ward’s drag-flick is blocked yet again. Stunning defending from the Indians.
Second quarter begins. England has looked threatening so far. Will India be able to turn the tide? Abhishek is released on the right flank and takes it near the baseline while looking for a teammate.
Final minute of the first quarter. England with one last burst inside the Indian circle but Amit Rohidas holds his ground at near post and intercepts the cut-back effectively.
PENALTY CORNER FOR INDIA. Shamsher puts Mandeep through on the right flank. Mandeep goes along the baseline inside the D before finding an England foot. Hardik injects, Harmanpreet unable to take the shot after Vivek’s trap. No harm done to English goal.
Lovely defending by Akashdeep on the right edge of the Indian D against Nicholas Park.
Another Penalty Corner for England. Sam Ward’s thunderous shot is saved by Sreejesh but the rebound falls on Manpreet’s foot. It is a third PC for England. Sam Ward’s drag flick is blocked by Manpreet but it is another PC, 4th of the match for England. Calnan with the injection, Sam Ward tucks it behind this time for Roper to take a shot but Roper does not get a clean contact. Calnan, eventually, blazes the ball over the intended target.
Aerial pass from an English player finds Surender Kumar inside the D who takes his eye off the ball while defending and concedes a cheap Penalty Corner. Bandurak’s drag-flick is stopped by Manpreet’s foot and it is another PC. Yet again a brilliant block from Manpreet on Bandurak’s shot following the PC.
Long pass from the midfield finds Abhishek inside the opposition D but he is unable to control the ball. English defense takes care of the rest.
No real threat to either goal so far. However, positive and aggressive play from the two teams.
A quick pass from the right and into the England circle but Mandeep’s first touch lifts the ball a bit too high and it is deemed dangerous play.
Sorsby goes on a solo run down the right flank but loses possession just as he crosses the halfway mark.
Game time! England begins the proceedings, playing from left to right. India is already into the English circle courtesy of amazing 3D skills from Akashdeep.
7:04PM - Here we go. The two teams are out on the pitch. Indian in blue and England in red. Time for the national anthems.
7PM - In World Cups, England leads the head-to-head 4-3 with one match ending in a draw.
6:45PM - In the other Group D match of the day, Spain defeated Wales 5-1. The Welsh team looks set to finish at the bottom of the group.
6:40PM - ICYMI, check the highlights of India’s 2-0 win over Spain in its tournament opener
6:35PM - LAST FIVE MEETINGS
August 1, 2022: India 4-4 England (Commonwealth Games)
April 3, 2022: India 4-3 England (FIH Pro League)
April 2, 2022: India 3-3 England (FIH Pro League)
April 14, 2018: England 2-1 India (Commonwealth Games)
April 11, 2018: India 4-3 England (Commonwealth Games)
6:25PM - LINEUPS
India - PR Sreejesh (GK), Surender Kumar, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Mandeep Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (c), Shamsher Singh, Varun Kumar, Akashdeep Singh, Amit Rohidas, Sukhjeet Singh
Subs - Jarmanpreet Singh, Abhishek, Krishan Pathak (GK), Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad
England - Nicholas Park, Jack Waller, David Ames (c), Zachary Wallace, Sam Ward, James Albery, Phil Roper, David Goodfield, Oliver Payne (GK), Thomas Sorsby, Will Calnan
Subs - Harry Martin, James Mazarelo (GK), Stuart Rushmere, Liam Ansell, David Condon, Nicholas Bandurak, Liam Sanford
6:15PM -HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Played: 21 | India: 10 | England: 7 | Draw: 4
6:10PM - With a 2-0 win over Spain, India got off to a perfect start at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 on Friday. However, today’s match against England will be a tougher challenge and the result could possibly decide which teams tops the group and goes directly to the quarterfinals. Live action begins at 7PM. Stay tuned as I take you through all the pre-match build-up.
PREVIEW (By Uthra Ganesan)
The last time India and England faced off was in a pool match at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, a game that had more lessons for both sides than the 4-4 scoreline would suggest.
After contrasting wins in their respective opening World Cup games here, their face-off on Sunday would not just be a virtual fight for the top spot in Group D but also a chance to prove they had definitively moved on from the errors of their previous meeting.
FOLLOW | Hockey World Cup 2023, LIVE Updates
At Birmingham in July last year, the Indians stamped their dominance to take a 3-0 lead, playing near-perfect hockey – before losing their collective form and minds to pick up a series of cards, playing with a man down for almost the entire second half and conceding goals on a platter. And with England declaring its intention to play its own version of ‘Bazball”, or attacking, a free-flowing, risk-taking brand of hockey, it won’t be easy for the host to come out on top.
SQUADS
India
England
It won’t be impossible either- Against Spain, India’s attack was sharp and targeted. The midfield of Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, and Akashdeep Singh was relentless in finding the gaps. The defence, of course, was the star, with players literally putting their bodies on the line and Krishan Pathak pulling off a series of brilliant saves to stake his credentials as Sreejesh’s successor.
But most importantly, India proved it had learnt its lessons and could hold and adjust its structure to shifting opposition plans in its 2-0 win against Spain without losing discipline even though Abhishek’s suspension in the crucial fourth quarter would have definitely been spoken about in the team meeting, as would have the missed penalty corners.
England’s 5-0 win against Wales might sound more impressive but the difference in opposition needs to be taken into account, as also the fact of the latter playing its first-ever World Cup. The aggressive game played by England would test India’s defence a lot more but also hopefully allow the Indians to run more freely. England’s shaky start in CWG was capitalised on by India then and taking an early lead would be a big advantage this time as well.
On the flip side, England fared worse with its penalty corners — earning 12 but fumbling 10, its main drag-flicker and top-scorer in the last one year Nicholas Bandurak failing to fire. With little to separate the two sides on field, the crowd would be the extra edge for India and if the opening game was any indicator, Sunday’s game is set to be a cracker.
When and where will India vs England Group D match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup be played?
India vs England Group D match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup will be played at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Sunday - January 15, 2023.
At what time will India vs England Group D match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup begin?
India vs England Group D match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup will begin at 7PM IST.
Where to watch India vs England Group D match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup?
India vs England Group D match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup will be telecast live on Star Sports First, Star Sports Select 2 HD, Star Sports Select 2 SD. The same will be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar.
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