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The first crossover match of the 2018 Hockey World Cup saw both New Zealand and England going all out against each other. The match was slow in the first quarter -- but high on tempo thereafter with both teams on the offensive.
Even though both the teams were pushing hard in the first quarter, none of them could really find any clear goal-scoring opportunities besides the one squandered opportunity by England from a Penalty Corner in the fourth minute.
The Black Sticks and England -- both -- were cautious and unwilling to take a lot of risks in the beginning.
David Condon, Barry Middleton, and Liam Ansell made a few darting runs down the middle but the final ball let the team down.
The penetration was good by the English players and they had a higher share of possession but neither of the teams were emphatic in their play.
New Zealand also maintained a strong defensive line to ensure England's attacks do not culminate in a goal. The Black Sticks, however, did not push forward as much as the George Pinner-led team.
Finally, England stepped it up a notch at the start of the 2nd quarter and looked like the more likely to find a breakthrough -- and that is exactly what transpired.
If we take a look at the statistics then they were quite evenly balanced. England made 26 circle entries while New Zealand had 19.
It was the Black Sticks who had the greater number of shots -- 11 -- compared to England's 8 but they lacked the precision. Credit for such a low conversion has to be given to both the goalkeepers as well as they made some fine saves.
Danny Kerry's boys won the match 2-0 and will go on to face Rio Olympics champions Argentina in the quarterfinal match.
They were undoubtedly the better team on the day and deserved to win. George Pinner's acrobatic celebration after the final hooter summed up the win beautifully and the Red outfits were all smiles.
It was not New Zealand's day and they would have to head back home.
Without further ado, let us dive into analyzing what were the five talking points of the match.
#5 Persistence pays off for England
There was a lot of tidiness in England's passing as they patiently got closer and closer to scoring. Whenever they lost the ball, the players showed the hunger to win it back and result in a turnover.
Calnan eventually found the breakthrough in the 25th minute with a fine assist from Phil Roper. Consistent pressing and perseverance finally paid off.
New Zealand was not aggressive initially but England showed that they mean business whenever they were in possession -- they always tried to work out something constructive.
Darren Smith's boys also got a penalty corner in the 27th minute but they made an absolute mess of it.
Nick Ross of New Zealand hit a powerful shot in the 27th minute itself but Pinner made a good save on the line and cleared the ball away safely. There were a few other Penalty Corner opportunities which both teams squandered.
England was deservedly ahead in the first half as they were brilliant in open play. They were also the team that was on the front foot in the third quarter and Luke Taylor doubled the lead in the 43rd minute.
Stephen Jenness had a wonderful opportunity in the 33rd minute but he fired wide. The 28-year-old, who is otherwise extremely reliable up front, misfired on many other occasions. It was just not his day when it mattered the most.
Deft passing and an iron will helped England's cause in the end.
#4 Liam Sanford, Phil Roper, and Liam Ansell's heroics
Liam Sanford, Phil Roper, and Liam Ansell were all over the field -- in a good way. They made brilliant runs down the middle and also tried to make the injections from both the left and right flanks.
The three were behind many of England's circle penetrations as well as the opportunities created.
Phil Roper did all the hard work to set up the first goal. The 22-year-old brought down a long pass well -- dribbled from the left flank towards the touchline -- and weaved a magical and perfectly lofted ball for Condon to finish it off.
Liam Sanford won the Player of the match award for his exuberant display on the field and his contributions -- both at the back and in building up attacks.
Ansell also had a great goalscoring opportunity near the halfway mark. However, the 25-year-old fired it about a foot wide.
Besides this one missed chance, the youngster was at his best and played his heart out to ensure a win for his team.
#3 England's experienced defensive trio help maintain a clean sheet
Mikey Hoare, Adam Dixon, and Mark Gleghorne did a fantastic job at the back for England.
The Black Sticks broke dangerously in the 22nd minute. The ball was pushed into the striking zone but Mikey Hoare was there to intercept it.
The 33-year-old was vocal and controlled the backline, ensuring that the players are in the right place at all times.
At least one of the three aforementioned players was there at the right place to prevent New Zealand from finding the breakthrough.
Mark Gleghorne was also resolute at the back as he was effective going up front. He mopped up exceptionally well on quite a few occasions.
Hoare made a couple of crucial tackles in the last quarter as well. If it was not for his timely interventions things could have got quite interesting.
All the three players have over 100 caps for the national team and they made their experience count on the day.
They defended with real conviction and the marking was spot on besides a few instances when Jenness got some space in the circle -- luckily for them, he misfired on all.
#2 Richard Joyce and George Pinner have a good day under the helmet
New Zealand's goalkeeper Joyce comfortably dealt with the first Penalty corner England won in the 4th minute after a hard tackle in the circle.
Gleghorne's drag-flick was at a comfortable height for Joyce -- who gloved it away easily and the best chance of the quarter went begging.
George Pinner was called to action only once in the first quarter but made a vital save.
England got two back-to-back penalty corners in the 36th minute. Luke Taylor made a hash of the first one but had good shot on goal from the second.
It took a little deflection from one of the runners but Richard Joyce was quick to react and got his body behind to make a good save.
There was another incision into the New Zealand circle in the 37th minute but Joyce was there as usual -- ensuring the scoreline remains unchanged.
After a really quick break in the 39th minute -- England got back to back shots away on goal but the New Zealand goalkeeper made himself big and denied England their second goal. It would have been a certain goal if the No. 8 did not come in the way.
It was the 50th minute of the game and Jenness was left unmarked in a good position. He only had the English goalkeeper to beat and also had time to line up his shot.
The 28-year-old opted for a flick instead of a hit. However, Pinner stood tall at the near post to deny him again. Missing from point blank range is not something you expect from a striker of Jenness' calibre.
Pinner also made some quick reaction saves in the third quarter. Jenness made a good deflection towards goal in the 42nd minute but Pinner was there to deny him. The Black Sticks were putting sustained pressure in the last quarter.
New Zealand got a penalty corner with 12 seconds remaining on the clock before the final hooter went off. Kane Russell got a fine shot in but Pinner made a tremendous save by diving to his right to deny New Zealand even a consolation goal.
All in all, both the goalkeepers had a busy day at the office and made some stunning saves.
#1 Will Calnan and Luke Taylor score their first World Cup goals
Phil Roper needs to be given a lot of credit for England's first goal. The build-up was exceptional with Roper making a brilliant run from the left flank and advancing towards the goal from the backline in the 25th minute.
He kept his cool to find 22-year-old Will Calnan with a perfect lofted pass. All the young forward had to do it was push the ball towards an empty goal as Roper had already beaten Joyce with the lofted ball. Calnan had timed his run to perfection and it was not an easy finish.
Calnan's joy knew no bounds as he scored his first ever World Cup goal.
It was some good play by Sanford and Sloan in the 43rd minute to make a good penetration which resulted in a Penalty corner.
Phil Roper hit a fierce and low drag flick but it hit the left post and came back into play.
Luke Taylor was there to collect the ball. The 24-year-old was cool and a cucumber -- took a good first touch to set the ball up for a shot -- and fired it in right into the top left corner with a lot of venom. It was indeed a brilliant finish which gave no time for Joyce to react.
Indeed, these were a few memorable moments for both the youngsters which they will cherish for the rest of their life.
New Zealand had a mountain to climb in the fourth quarter as they were two goals down. The game really opened up in the final quarter and was extremely lively in the final minutes.
However, the Black Sticks were eventually overwhelmed. Darren Smith will be disappointed with the opportunities his boys missed.
On the contrary, it is a big result for England who will be buzzing with confidence when they take the field against Argentina in their quarterfinal match.
