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The 2018 Hockey World Cup, being held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, is turning out to be a box full of surprises. From China's back to back draws to the surprises given by teams like France and Canada, each and every encounter has been unpredictable.
An equally interesting match came up between Spain and New Zealand, which would decided which of the two teams would proceed to the next round. Spain had narrowly lost to Argentina, and made a draw with a rather weak France, while New Zealand had narrowly won against France before losing rather badly to Argentina.
Led by goalkeeper cum captain Quico Cortes, Spain had it rather easy in the first half. Two back to back goals by Albert Beltran and Alvaro Iglesias, followed by some brilliant skills displayed by the Spanish team, made it look as if the Black Sticks were to be eliminated from the competition. However, New Zealand had other plans.
Refusing to give up despite being pushed back by 0-2 in the first 3 quarters, New Zealand switched their gears and went all out in the final quarter, attacking from every side possible. Stunned by the onslaught of the New Zealand, Spain struggled to keep their momentum, and finally gave in in the 50th minute, when Hayden Phillips struck the first goal.
If this wasn't enough, drag flicker Kane Russell smashed a penalty corner into the Spanish goal in the 56th minute, and not only rescued New Zealand from possible elimination, but also helped them to move into the crossover. Instead, it was Spain, who was eliminated, when France shocked Olympic champions Argentina by 5-3 in a nail biting thriller that followed soon after their own match.
#5 Spain's early attack rattles New Zealand
Right from the word go, Spain was on a roll. This was a must win match for the Spaniards, who hadn't progressed to the next round of the World Cup since the edition held at Monchengladbach in 2006. Led by goalkeeper cum captain Quico Cortes, the Spaniards shocked New Zealand with their intensive attacks from the word go.
Spain struck goal with the first quarter, when Albert Beltran struck past the Kiwi defence in the 9th minute with a crisp field goal, giving Spain a crucial lead of 1-0. If this wasn't enough. Alvaro Iglesias extended the lead in the 27th minute with another brilliant field goal, giving Spain a lead of 2-0.
The early attack not only left New Zealand rattled, but also made them struggle for three full quarters, as they were unable to find even a small chink in the Spanish armor that they could exploit to their advantage.
#4 Quico Cortes stars for Spain
Though surprised by the initial onslaught, New Zealand did not lose hope. They tried every trick up their sleeve to fight back, and create chances where the Spanish team would be forced to commit an error, giving the Black Sticks a crucial advantage that was necessary to make a comeback.
However, this could not be so, owing to the brilliance of the goalkeeper cum captain, Quico Cortes, who single handedly thwarted every attack from New Zealand for three whole quarters. One of the best goalkeepers to deal with, Quico Cortes had become a literal nightmare for the Kiwi team, reminding them of the 2014 World Cup showdown.
#3 New Zealand spark amazing revival in last 10 minutes
Despite being down by 2 goals, New Zealand were certainly not out. The Black Sticks hadn't come this far for nothing. The silver medalists from 2018 Commonwealth Games regrouped themselves for a final assault against the Spanish side, as they give it their all in the final quarter.
Initially, the Black Sticks were unable to find a penetration for the first three quarters. Despite 7 circle entries, followed by 4 shots at the goal, all of which were made in the first quarter, New Zealand were unable to make any honest attempt to score a goal. However, the final quarter was a different picture altogether.
The Black Sticks gave it their all, refusing to bow to any tactic pushed forward by the Spanish team. Their efforts brought fruit within the first five minutes, when in the 50th minute, Hayden Phillips broke through the Spanish cordon, earning the first goal for the New Zealand.
#2 Kane Russell changes the game
If the assault by Hayden Phillips on the Spanish goal wasn't enough, the New Zealand prepared their own China moment for the Spanish team. The first goal for New Zealand didn't equalize the match, but gave the Black Sticks a new confidence to pull out a fresh assault on the Spanish team.
However, within 6 minutes, like the Chinese player Du Talake, drag flicker Kane Russell, who'd earlier scored in the crucial victory against France, capitalized on the only penalty corner that New Zealand earned throughout the match, to not only equalize the score, but also pull New Zealand out of the mess.
Interestingly, Kane Russell is the same man who gave New Zealand their first silver in Commonwealth Games after 16 years, as he played a crucial role in serving the vital passes to the Kiwi players in the semifinals against India, denying them the victory they needed to get into their 3rd consecutive finals.
#1 New Zealand make it to the Crossovers
With the draw, New Zealand has not only pulled itself out of trouble, but also made it to the next round, while Spain, who were touted to strike big, shockingly made a humiliating exit, when France shocked Argentina by 5-3 in their last match to progress to the next round.
However, their road is a bit tough, since France's upset against Argentina has relegated them to the third place in the pool A. They now have to depend upon the result of Pool B matches to determine who will play them in the crossovers.
As of now, China, who have made their World Cup debut, is a surprising second, with two back to back draws, while Ireland is a close third in Pool B. If China manages to upset Australia, they shall face New Zealand in the crossover.
On the other hand, if Ireland manage to defeat England, they shall face New Zealand in the crossovers, provided China draws or loses against the defending champions.
Head to Sportskeeda to check out the Hockey World Cup schedule for the upcoming matches
