Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of Indian men’s hockey team’s crossover match against New Zealand in the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023. This was Nihit Sachdeva taking you through the action as it unfolded at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Well, that was one heck of a contest. New Zealand first came back from 1-3 down to level the scores and then, somehow, got over the line in a thrilling penalty shootout. The Black Sticks will face three-time champion Australia in the quarterfinals while India will now have to play against Japan in the 9-16 team classification. Here are the details of India’s upcoming fixture.
Sean Findlay is the Player of the Match.
4-5: Hayward saves Shamsher’s first attempt but umpires says, it needs to be retaken! No referrals left either. Hayward saves the retake once, he saves it twice and the time is up! NEW ZEALAND IS INTO THE QUARTERFINALS AND INDIA IS OUT OF THE WORLD CUP!!!
4-5: Sam Lane now. Pathak saves it initially but Lane puts the rebound in. Pressure on India now.
4-4: Sukhjeet this time. Can he see India through? No, he can’t! Save from Hayward but India has used referral, asking for a backstick. The original decision stands and India loses referral.
4-4: Save from Pathak. Hayden Phillips, what have you done! Chance for India.
4-4: Nerves of steel from Rajkumar as he delivers yet again. Waited for Hayward to go down and then, calmly chipped it in.
3-4: Findlay scores!!! India needs to score now to keep the shootout going.
Krishan Pathak replaces the injured Sreejesh.
3-3: Indian captain Harmanpreet takes the responsibility and does not deliver. He goes for the kill from a distance and Hayward keeps the attempt out!
3-3: After initial save from Sreejesh, Nic Woods misses. NZ asks for a referral saying it is a backstick from Indian goalkeeper. Meanwhile, Sreejesh is down, holding his knee. The Indian goalkeeper is in some pain. The original decision stands.
3-3: No, he can’t! Excellent work from Sreejesh to force him wide. Sudden death and NZ takes first attempt.
3-3: Sukhjeet equalises but NZ have one shot left. Can Hiha seal a quarterfinal spot for NZ?
2-3: Sam Lane fails to seal the deal for NZ as he hits the shot wide.
2-3: Shamsher misses as well. India in deep trouble.
2-3: New Zealand is in front but only just as Sreejesh gets a touch after shot from Hayden but the ball trickles over the line with two hundredth of a second left on the clock.
2-2: Abhishek loses control of the ball, wasting precious seconds and it is enough as the clock runs out.
2-2: Findlay equalises for NZ.
2-1: Rajkumar keeps Indian ahead as he calmly puts the ball past Hayward and into the net.
1-1: Woods is the first one from NZ. Sreejesh fouls him and NZ get a penalty stroke which is successfully converted by Russell who finds the bottom-left corner when Sreejesh moves to right.
1-0: Harmanpreet takes the first attempt and despite a touch of Hayward, finds the back of the net.
New Zealand has brought Leon Hayward in place of Dixon for goalkeeping, For India, it’s Sreejesh.
OH MY WORD!!!! New Zealand almost breaks India’s hearts as a ball is sent into the striking circle, takes a deflection off an Indian player, Sam Lane hits from point-blank range and Krishan Pathak pulls off a stunning save. We are heading to a penalty shootout!!!!
New Zealand has used a referral with 50 seconds left on the clock. Tarrant says the 5m rule has been infringed by Nilam Sanjeep Xess during an aerial pass but the original decision stands. India looks for one final push but in the process, Surender hits a New Zealand in the head.
Less than two minutes left now. And Nick Ross is back!
India needs to make use of the man advantage. New Zealand is easily running the clock down before Ross can come back on the pitch.
Lalit receives the ball near the New Zealand D but quickly loses it as well.
PENALTY CORNER FOR INDIA. And more over, a yellow card for Nick Ross as he dived onto the ball. New Zealand down to 10 men for the next five minutes. Varun’s drag-flick goes wide.
PENALTY CORNER FOR INDIA. Clever move from Nilakanta and it is an opportunity for India to go ahead once again. However, Harmanpreet’s drag-flick does not have much in it and is cleared away by a defender.
SAVE!!!!! Stunning block from Krishan Pathak. Jarmanpreet’s pass was intercepted and Hiha did not take much time before unleashing a powerful strike. Pathak keeps India in it.
PENALTY CORNER FOR NEW ZEALAND. Careless error from Nilam Sanjeep Xess while intercepting an aerial pass. Kane Russell could not hit the drag flick after the initial injection, the first rusher cleared the ball away but only as far as Phillips whose shot find Findlay at the near post. Findlay’s deflects it past Krishan Pathak. GOALLL!!!!!!
SAVE!!!! Superb stuff from Krishan Pathak after a powerful strike from Child from the right of the goal.
Aerial pass finds Sam Lane inside the striking circle but his shot does not cause much trouble to India.
Final quarter begins. Jarmanpreet receives pass on the right flank from Nilam Sanjeep Xess but fails to trap it and the ba;; goes out of play.
Both teams have scored once in the third quarter. We are set for a thrilling final 15 minutes as New Zealand is not yet out of this!
End-to-end stuff. PENALTY CORNER FOR INDIA after a tackle on Sukhjeet. Amit Rohidas with the drag flick but it is wide.
PENALTY CORNER FOR NEW ZEALAND. First of the night for the Black Sticks. Kane Russell’s drag-flick finds the middle of the box. GOALLLL!!!!!!!
Relentless stuff from India. One circle entry after another. Manpreet puts the ball into the striking circle from the right but finds no finishing touch from a teammate.
Rajkumar with the ball in the midfield, puts Akashdeep through who finds Mandeep inside the striking circle. Mandeep passes it back to Akashdeep in front of the goal. The ball hits Lane before reaching Akashdeep who has his shot saved. India uses the referral and gets a PENALTY CORNER. Variation yet again and it brings another PC. GOALL!!!!!!!! Varun Kumar’s drag-flick goes through Dixon’s legs!
Excellent interception from Jarmanpreet just outside the Indian striking circle. India on the charge. Amit Rohidas puts the ball inside the D looking to find a teammate but New Zealand defender deflects the ball onto his own foot. PENALTY CORNER FOR INDIA. Harmanpreet’s drag flick, aimed towards bottom-left corner, is stopped by Dixon.
Harmanpreet with a precise interception in defense to stop Morrison who was on his way to enter the striking circle.
Sam Hiha loses possession on the right flank inside the Indian half. Amit Rohidas calmly takes the ball towards the baseline and draws a foul from the opponent. Danger avoided.
New Zealand with a major chunk of possession early on in the 2nd half.
Manpreet releases Shamsher in the middle after New Zealand player had run out of play with the ball. Shamsher tries to put Lalit through inside the striking circle but Lalit does not receive the pass.
Wood has been hit in the face after a collision with Rajkumar in the midfield.
Second half is underway. India takes the pushback and plays from left to right.
The goal from Findlay in the last stages of the first half must have surely given hope to Black Sticks. It has been an excellent half hour of hockey. Stay tuned for the second half which could see a goalfest!
GOALLLLLL!!!!!! New Zealand gets one back after a scintillating move with the finishing touch from Sam Lane. Sean Findlay passed the ball to Child near the baseline who pushed it along before finding Lane in front of the goal with the cutback.
India on the charge again. Abhishek gets the ball past the two defenders closing in on him from the two sides in the midfield but eventually loses possession before entering the circle.
PENALTY CORNER FOR INDIA. Yet another opportunity. Harmanpreet’s drag-flick had so much power in it that before Dixon could even react, the ball rebound and Sukhjeet put it into the back of the net. GOALLLLL!!!!
PENALTY CORNER FOR INDIA as New Zealand defender intercepts an aerial Indian pass without being 5m away from the receiver. Variation in PC routine from India as Amit Rohidas’s drag flick found Lalit at the right post whose deflection is saved by Dixon.
New Zealand quickly looks for an equaliser. Kingstone with the ball inside the striking circle, goes for the kill, but the shot is blocked.
Careless stuff from New Zealand. A backpass in the midfield was not trapped properly and an Indian player had no problem in launching a swift counter-attack. Result - PENALTY CORNER FOR INDIA. Varun Kumar with the drag flick and it brings another PC. Varun Kumar with the drag flick again, New Zealand goalkeeper Dixon makes the save but amidst all the chaos, Nilakanta Sharma calmly puts the ball in the back of the net. However, it has been ruled out due to a back stick from Abhishek before the ball reached Nilakanta.
That goal will surely give a lot of confidence to the host nation. Pressure on the Black Sticks now.
GOALLLLL!!!!!!!! Lalit Kumar Upadhyay puts the finishing touch on a breathtaking counterattack which began with Harmanpreet intercepting a pass in his own half. Akashdeep got the ball pass two players in black jerseys to keep possession. Akashdeep’s pass was somehow received by Shamsher who found Lalit, unmarked, and Lalit took a shot from the right side inside the striking circle and found the bottom-left corner.
Second quarter begins. Harmanpreet loses possession near India’s striking circle and New Zealand almost scores. Kim Kingstone would be kicking himself for letting that opportunity go.
India will probably be the happier side after the first 15 minutes. It had more incisive moves and earned the only PC in this game so far. However, the scoreline remains goalless.
Harmanpreet with the ball on the left flank. Goes for a cross aerial pass for Jarmanpreet who misjudges it and the ball goes out of play.
Foul from Russell on Rajkumar inside the D and it is a PENALTY CORNER FOR INDIA. Harmanpreet’s shot was headed towards the top-right corner but excellent defensive save from Simon Child off the line.
SAVE!!!! Shot on target from a Black Stick but Sreejesh stands like a rock and blocks the ball with his right foot.
Green card for Manpreet. India down to 10 men. Careless error in trapping the ball in the opposition half from Varun allows New Zealand to launch a counter-attack. No harm done to the Indian goal down though.
Yet again, aerial pass and Sam Lane takes it down well and this time, inside the striking circle. However, he goes for a wishful pass but there’s no teammate to receive it.
Green card for Nic Woods of New Zealand for a tackle from behind on Abhishek. Two-minute suspension.
Abhishek with the ball inside the opposition’s striking circle but the defensive structure of New Zealand does not allow him to find a teammate in a scoring position.
New Zealand with a brief spell of possession. Aerial pass received brilliantly by Sam Lane on the edge of the striking circle. However, Indian defense does well not to concede a Penalty Corner.
A lot of focus will be on Rajkumar Pal who has replaced playmaker Hardik Singh, who got injured and has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.
Circle entry from Mandeep after brilliant attack by the players in the midfield. However, only long corner again.
Game time! New Zealand takes the pushback and plays from left to right. Shamsher with a circle entry from the right but it only gets India a long corner.
7:05PM - The two teams step onto the pitch. India in white jerseys and New Zealand in black. Time for national anthems.
7PM - Indian skipper Harmanpreet’s Penalty Corner conversion has been a cause of concern for the team. Will the main man find his form when it is needed the most?
6:45PM - Here are the starting lineups!
6:40PM - Here’s how the two teams have performed in this World Cup so far -
India
- 1st Group match: Beat Spain 2-0
- 2nd Group match: Drew 0-0 with England
- 3rd Group match: Beat Wales 4-2
New Zealand
- 1st Group match: Beat Chile 3-1
- 2nd Group match: Lost 0-4 to Netherlands
- 3rd Group match: Lost 2-3 to Malaysia
6:35PM - JUST IN: Spain beats Malaysia 4-3 in the penalty shootout after the first crossover finished at 2-2. Spain is set to face three-time champion Australia in the quarterfinals.
6:30PM - The winner of the match between India and New Zealand will face defending champion Belgium in the quarterfinal.
6:25PM - ICYMI, check what India head coach Graham Reid said in the pre-match press conference.
6:20PM - The first crossover between Malaysia and Spain ends at 2-2 and the winner will now be decided via penalty shootout - LIVE UPDATES
6:15PM -LAST FIVE MEETINGS
November 4, 2022: India 7-4 New Zealand (FIH Pro League)
October 28, 2022: India 4-3 New Zealand (FIH Pro League)
July 24, 2021: India 3-2 New Zealand (Tokyo Olympics)
August 21, 2019: India 5-0 New Zealand (Olympic test event)
August 18, 2019: India 1-2 New Zealand (Olympic test event)
6:10PM -HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Played: 44 | India: 24 | New Zealand: 15 | Draw: 5
6:05PM - Welcome to the knockout stage of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in Odisha. The first crossover between Malaysia and Spain is into the final stages with the score level at 2-2. The marquee fixture of the day though - India vs New Zealand - begins at 7PM. Stay tuned for all the pre-match buildup!
PREVIEW (By Uthra Ganesan)
A misfiring forward line, a struggling drag-flicker and a key playmaker out with injury will be among the concerns for India when it takes the field against New Zealand for a quarterfinal spot in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. Despite these, there will be several reasons for the host to be favourite and only one to guard against – itself.
For one, there will be no permutations to worry about for the host, something that clearly bothered the Indian players against Wales even when coach Graham Reid insisted there was no pressure from him. A win is all that is needed and such clarity of purpose works for the Indian team.
Squads
India
New Zealand
Then there is the recent history between the two sides. The last time the Black Sticks beat India in a major competition was at the 2018 Commonwealth Games semifinal. The only other time India has lost to the currently 12th ranked side in the last five years in 13 times was at the Olympic test event in 2019, when Sam Lane stuck in the dying seconds. Lane is still around but the last two matches in the Pro League, both at this very venue, went comfortably India’s way.
The crowd will be cheering the home side on but the biggest hope for the team will be Harmanpreet Singh coming good with his flicks. The India captain has looked a shadow of his natural self, unable to either find the angles or the power to breach the opposition defence during penalty corners. Even though his first goal in the competition, against Wales, came without a goalkeeper, the team will be hoping it helps get rid of any mental block and will start fighting. His form has been directly proportional to India’s gradual ascent through the ranks and India needs its skipper to start firing.
An injured Hardik Singh’s official exclusion from the remaining games means Rajkumar Pal will be directly thrown in a pressure situation, although the talented youngster has proven himself more than competent. That the team management preferred to bring in a young striker as replacement instead of the more tested Jugraj Singh, who could also act as an option to Harmanpreet, shows the team’s faith in both its captain and its defence. It also speaks of the team’s clear emphasis on scoring more.
New Zealand, struggling to find its rhythm, will also be hoping to do better than it has done so far with a tighter defence and more control of the ball. India will need to guard against it coming out attacking and taking early control, allowing too much space to veteran Simon Child to create chances and conceding PCs for Kane Russell.
When and where will India vs New Zealand Crossover match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup be played?
India vs New Zealand Crossover match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup will be played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday - January 22, 2023.
At what time will India vs New Zealand Crossover match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup begin?
India vs New Zealand Crossover match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup will begin at 7PM IST.
Where to watch India vs New Zealand Crossover match of the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup?
India vs New Zealand Crossover 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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