New Delhi, 25th July 2023: The Indian Men’s Hockey Team put up a fighting show in their opening game of the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation – International Tournament but hosts Spain won the closely-fought tie 2-1 in Barcelona on Tuesday. Captain Harmanpreet Singh (59’) netted a goal for India after Pau Cunill (11’) and Joaquin Menini (33’) had put the hosts in front.
India commenced the match on an aggressive note with high pressing in the first quarter but were unable to take the lead. Meanwhile, hosts Spain began to gain momentum as the first quarter progressed, and it paid off as Pau Cunill (11′) found the back of the net to put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute.
With the scoreline stacked against them, India looked to control possession and launch a counterattack in the second quarter in search of an equaliser, but Spain’s defence held strong to prevent them from bouncing back, as the second quarter ended goalless, with Spain leading 1-0 at half-time.
The third quarter began with the Indian team attacking ruthlessly and repeatedly testing Spain’s defence; however, the hosts not only kept India at bay but also doubled their lead through Joaquin Menini (33′), who found himself in an ideal position to deflect in a lighting shot by Jose Basterra.
Trailing by two goals, India shifted gears to put relentless pressure on Spain and even won a penalty corner, but were unable to capitalise on it. Also, Spain’s goalkeeper saved Indian Captain Harmanpreet Singh’s fiery shot from a distance towards the end of the third quarter to make sure that Spain enters the final 15 minutes of the game with the two goals lead.
In their bid to bounce back in the game, India came out all guns blazing in the fourth quarter and created some good scoring opportunities, but they still struggled to find their first goal of the game. Meanwhile, Spain switched to counter-attacking and won back-to-back penalty corners, but were unable to convert any of them.
On the other hand, India continued to put pressure on the home team’s defence, which paid off when Captain Harmanpreet Singh (59′) converted a penalty corner in the dying minutes of the game to keep his team in the game. However, Spain prevented India from scoring another goal, and the game ended 2-1 in favour of the hosts.
Indian Men’s Hockey Team will next take on the Netherlands in their second game of the tournament on 26th July 2023 at 21:30 IST.
HOCKEY INDIA TEAM PARTNERS
Odisha (India’s Best Kept Secret) – Major Team Partner
Sports Authority of India (SAI)
Shiv Naresh
About HOCKEY INDIA
HOCKEY INDIA (HI) is the governing body with exclusive mandate to direct and conduct all activities for both men and women’s hockey in India. It is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India as the sole body responsible towards promoting Hockey in India.
Headquartered in New Delhi, Hockey India was established on 20th May, 2009 and is affiliated to the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).
Committed to the development of Hockey in the country, Hockey India with the assistance of Sports Authority of India and Department of Sports, Government of India, trains players at sub-junior, junior and senior level. The governing body engages in Coaching the coaches with International Standard certification programs, educates and equips technical officials and umpires to find a foothold in international arena, provides world-class infrastructure and International exposure for the players besides regular international competition. Hockey India has also pioneered in bringing top International hockey events to India such as the FIH Men’s World Cup in 2010 and 2018, FIH Champions Trophy in 2014, FIH Junior Men’s World Cup in 2016 and 2021, FIH Hockey World League Final in 2017. With its vision to popularize the game and constantly promote it, Hockey India brought the Indian Men’s Hockey Team into the top three in the world. Hockey India is also dedicated to getting the Indian Women’s Hockey Team into the top three in the world.
About ODISHA
Odisha – the Eastern State of India – is known for its love for Hockey and over the years it has evolved to be the Global Hub of Hockey. The State successfully hosted the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, followed by the FIH Men’s Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha, FIH Olympic Qualifiers Odisha, and FIH Hockey Pro League 2020-21. Odisha has previously hosted the Champions Trophy 2014 and the Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017. Odisha also hosted the FIH Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup in 2021.
Kalinga Lancers, the team owned by the State, were the winners in the Hockey India League 2017. Taking a step further towards realising the dream of restoring the glory of Indian Hockey at the global level, the State is sponsoring the Indian Hockey Teams till 2033.
Odisha also hosted the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023.
