The Indian women’s hockey team and England produced a high-voltage campaign opener in their Pool B match here at the prestigious FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup Spain and the Netherlands were packed into the Wenger Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen on Sunday, ending in a 1-1 draw.
what is here @TheHockeyIndia Skipper Savita had to ask her team to share points in their opening match against England today after recovering from an early loss. pic.twitter.com/t1IcnNQZbL
— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) 3 July 2022
Goals were scored by Isabel Petter (9′) and Vandana Katariya (28′) as they helped their respective teams add a crucial point on the pool table.
Both the teams started pushing each other to capture the ball and place in each other’s circle. England shed their first blood when their striker took a fierce shot on goal, but the alert Savita averted the initial threat with only minutes saving in the first quarter, diving in.
But England were successful in their second attempt when their veteran Lily Owsley set up a fine assist off Isabel Petter with a total of 182 international caps. Petter sent the ball high, pocketing the top of the net as England needed a 1-0 lead to put the pressure on India in the 9th minute.
Determined to be on par with England in the game, India kept their cool and worked on their strategy to create chances in the circle. He was awarded a PC in the next minutes, but missed the goal as Gurjit Kaur’s dragflick bounced off the goal post. Despite missing out on a goal, India remained patient in their approach, building a good structure and when they were awarded a PC for a foot-foul in the 28th minute, veteran striker Vandana Katariya slammed England’s goalkeeper. A brilliant rebound off the pads of Maddie Hing. After taking a shot from Monica’s PC. He deflected the ball completely in front of the hinge to level India and keep the game open in the second half of the match.
Coming back from the ten-minute break, an upbeat India mounted the pressure on England with powerful strikes. They played with pace, and dominated possession of the ball, but England’s defense was solid up to the challenge with their seasoned mentor Maddie Hinge, making some excellent saves and guiding their team’s defense from behind.
With no goals scored in the third quarter, the match turned out to be a draw as both the teams fought hard for that elusive lead. Although England created a few chances in the D with a shot on goal, they were off target on most occasions. India could have extended the lead in the 56th minute when Neha and Navjot worked inside the D to help Sharmila find the deflection. But Sharmila unfortunately couldn’t put her stick on the ball, thus missing out on a great opportunity.
With less than four minutes left for the final hooter, the game remained tense when Monica won the seventh PC of the match. However, the team could not make the most of the opportunity with the PC battery slacking off and once again England presented a fine PC defense with Hinge leading the way. A good video referral by India in the next minute ensured that England were denied the PC. England dominated the ball for the next few seconds, but could not make much use of it and ended the match in a draw.
Earlier in the day, China played a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in a Pool B match, keeping the pool open. India will take on China in their second Pool B match on July 5 at 2000 hrs IST.