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England have secured their entry into the quarter-finals of Hockey World Cup. They beat New Zealand by 2-0 margin at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Monday in the first crossover match of the tournament.
England will now have a mountain to climb as they will face Olympic gold medallist Argentina in the quarter-final match on Wednesday.
It was a match where both sides had their chances but it was England who made that count. They were more aggressive in the first two quarters, whereas New Zealand were busy in defending.
The Kiwis came out of their cage in the second half and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions but an inspiring performance from George Pinner kept them away.
The experience of New Zealand players compared to their opponents finally made the difference between the two sides, as England kept concentration in crunch moments.
Let us look at the three standout players of the match:
#3 Phil Roper
On a day when England depended on their team game, captain Phil Roper has certainly distinguished his performance from others. The Chester-born helped his team to register the opening goal of the match.
England could have scored at least a goal in the first quarter when Roper made a solid run down the middle but his final pass failed to find any of his teammates. Barry Middleton did the same thing earlier as England squandered two opportunities.
Roper came with a different approach in the second quarter. He struggled to find space initially due to some fine stick works from Kiwi defenders.
But the moment of reckoning came in the 25th minute when he got a fine pass inside the opponent’s half.
With acres of space ahead of him, Roper made a fine run towards the circle and dribbled past three Kiwi defenders in the process.
He forced New Zealand goalkeeper Richard Joyce to challenge him but before that, he passed the ball to Will Calnan, who scored the opening goal.
His patience, calmness and efforts ultimately paid off. This was a crucial goal which helped England tighten their grip over their opponents.
#2 Richard Joyce
New Zealand players should be grateful to their goalkeeper Richard Joyce for producing such exemplary skills in this tournament. The Kiwis have to go home from the crossovers but Joyce had definitely thrilled fans with his superb shows under the bar.
In all previous matches of his team, Joyce made some excellent saves to keep the scoreline respectable. Monday was no exception. New Zealand might have conceded two goals but on both occasions, Joyce had little to do.
His first contribution in the match came in the fifth minute when he palmed away a Mark Gleghorne penalty corner to safety. He again saved a counter-attack to foil England’s move.
In the second quarter, Joyce had to concede a goal due to his teammates’ inability to stop Roper. He made a challenge to the English captain but no defender blocked Calnan at the far post.
Joyce made three back to back saves early in the third quarter. He denied Luke Taylor from a penalty corner before stopping Zachary Wallace.
But ultimately Wallace scored from a powerful shot a few minutes later, which Joyce couldn’t react as he was guarded by one of his teammates.
New Zealand are out of the tournament but Richard Joyce will be leaving with his head held high.
#1 George Pinner
One of the reasons why England ensured safe passage to quarter-finals is certainly because of their goalkeeper George Pinner. The custodian was quiet in the first half as New Zealand were not making too many attacks.
But as the Kiwis changer their approach in the second half, Pinner had to be alert and on more than one occasion he came with brilliant saves to rescue his country.
During the 43rd minute, New Zealand captain Blair Tarrant shoot through a crowded defence into the circle.
Stephen Jenness was quick to bounce the ball into the right direction. In came Pinner. Showing his excellent reflexes, Pinner kept the ball out of danger. So quick was his reaction that even Jenness was amused.
Pinner had to be busy in the third quarter as the defenders started showing fatigues. Liam Sanford, who were brilliant from the left throughout the match, misread a pass which allowed New Zealand to initiate a counter-attack.
Thankfully for England, Pinner was at the right place at right time. But he didn’t keep emotions under control and shouted at the defenders.
He saved another penalty corner just before the end of the match to keep a clean sheet.
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