India and England played out another thriller as a back and forth match saw 7 goals, all from penalty corners, 4-3 in favour of India. England took an early lead in the match as they had done last night. But India went back level through Manpreet and never trailed again. India’s Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick notching his 100th goal for India and while England twice managed to reduce the deficit to 1 goal, they could not find a leveller and India took all 3 points.
Netherlands with a second dominant win in two days against their lower ranked opponents, USA. The Dutch were a lot more clinical today scoring 10 goals, with 6 players getting on the score sheet, with Yibbi Jansen scoring a hat-trick. USA showed much more intent in attack compared to the last game, but it left them exposed on defence, and despite Kelsey Bing’s usual brilliance, they conceded 10 to their clinical Dutch counterparts.
India vs England (men) - Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar (IND)
England coach Zak Jones spoke before the game about the threat India posed from the Penalty Corners and after a terrific effort from his team in yesterday’s game on that front, the floodgates opened up today as India won 10 of them, converting from 4, to snatch a win in another thrilling contest that kept the fans on the edge of their seats till the 60th minute once again.
The game started much more evenly, but England once again got the first goal through an innovative penalty corner that was deflected in by Sanford, who scored his first ever international goal for England. India countered back with a similar routine from a penalty corner routine and scored via Manpreet Singh who got his first goal since 2019. Two more penalty corners from India in a dominant 2nd quarter saw Harmanpreet give India a 3-1 lead into the half time, but the English team never stopped believing.
England crucially got the first goal of the second half through a Sam Ward drag flick from a penalty corner that took a touch from David Condon and went in. India then struck back, once again through Harmanpreet Singh who competed his hat-trick with a vicious flick into the bottom left corner.
England weren’t done though and stuck back in the very next minute to set up a tense final quarter. India refused to stay back and looked for a goal to double their lead in the final quarter, but neither team got many opportunities in the final 15. England removed their keeper in the final minutes and tried a repeat of last night’s game where they equalised with 12 seconds left on the clock, but the Indian defence led by Harmanpreet and captain Amit Rohidas dealt with the threats well and India emerged victorious, taking all 3 points today and 5 out of the possible 6 from the two contests against England.
Player of the match and scorer of a hat-trick Harmanpreet chose to give his team the credit for his goal, saying: “Happy with my 100th goal for India and hat-trick but it’s possible because our team has great options in those corners, so the defence cannot focus on one player in that situation. Happy with the direction we are heading in and the talent and options in the team”
Netherlands vs USA (women) - Wagener Hockey Stadium, Amstelveen (NED)
Netherlands team spoke yesterday about the difficulty of scoring against a packed defence of USA, while the Americans promised a more attacking performance today. USA delivered on their promise with an attempt to play a lot higher up the pitch through the game, committing big numbers to each attacking opportunity, but they couldn’t breach the Dutch defence. Netherlands however showcased how dangerous they are in attack when their opponent gives them any room at all.
A 10-0 scoreline rarely signifies positives for both teams, but having tried an extremely defensive strategy yesterday, USA will take positives from their different approach to today’s game. They didn’t get a goal for their efforts, but they did manage to force Dutch keeper Josine Koning into a couple of saves.
Netherlands were relentless in their attacks and the open spaces behind the American defence provided them with ample opportunities. A total of 6 players got on the scoresheet for the Netherlands, with player of the match Yibbi Jansen scoring a hat-trick from penalty corners, while Joosje Boorg and Frederique Matla scored a brace each. Matla especially had a great game creating plenty of chances for her team, getting 2 assists in the game to go with her two goals.
Kelsey Bing once again put in a stellar performance for USA, pulling off brilliant saves throughout the game, but with 58 total circle penetrations and 22 shots from the Dutch, there was not much more she could do to keep the Americans in the game.
Speaking post game, player of the match Yibbi Jansen said: “It was a great team win. Happy with the hat-trick but we had a lot of fun creating so many opportunities and scoring many goals from open play as well.”
Kelsey Bing, speaking after a second loss in as many days pointed to the differing tactics and said: “We had to try being more attacking today after the match yesterday. That obviously opened up a lot of opportunities for them and they were clinical. We will take positives in terms of what we could manage in attack compared to yesterday and we will work out our penalty corner defending as well before the next two matches against Argentina.”
FIH Hockey Pro League – 3rd April 2022
Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar (IND)
Result: Men’s Match 34
India 4, England 3
Player of the Match: Harmanpreet Singh (IND)
Wagener Hockey Stadium, Amstelveen (NED)
Result: Women’s Match 26
Netherlands 10, USA 0
Player of the Match: Yibbi Jansen (NED)
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