Hockey World Cup 2018: China vs Ireland

Not for nothing did Aussie coach Colin Batch state that the Odisha World Cup may well be the closest ever - and what's more, Dutch coach Max Caldas backs that very claim in spite of the fact that his team made short work of Malaysia in their opener.

Ireland, who fought valiantly against World Champions Australia before going down narrowly in their opener, were forced to split points with minnows China, in spite of doing pretty much everything right except getting the ball into the net twice.

It was heartbreaking for the sizeable number of Irish fans who had travelled half-way around the world to make it to the Kalinga Stadium only see their team having to settle for a draw when they possibly deserved better.

The Chinese, however, would argue just as vehemently that it was not bad fortune that robbed the Irish of two vital extra points but some dogged, determined, and tidy defending which caused the Green Machine to repeatedly falter at the periphery of the goalmouth.

The Irish created numerous chances, getting the better of the Chinese defence time and again. Crosses from both flanks were fired in across the face of goal but missed the mark by inches on more than one occasion.

Was it, indeed, providence that enabled the Chinese to come through unscathed, or did Kim Sang-Ryul's side deserve the crucial one point which now gives them hope of making it to the knockouts?

Let us take a look at 3 factors that may have been significant in determining the ultimate course of this match.

#3 Kim's boys lunge, strain, and play a double-team to deny the Irish

On the face of it, the Irish did look quite superior and put the Chinese defence under enormous pressure for large periods. Eugene Magee powered his way to the backline and angled a number of delectable crosses in which his teammates should have lapped up with glee.

Instead, the passes always seemed to be just a wee bit too far, and sometimes a wee bit too fast for the Irish strikers to pick up. When they did manage to latch on to the crosses, the shots on goal were inches wide, even on rare occasions when Wang Caiyu was woefully out of position.

A closer look at events within the Chinese circle will reveal that it was Kim's defenders who lunged, stretched, and strained every muscle to prevent the Irish from taking the shots on goal in a manner that they would have relished.

As a result, Ireland's men up front were unable to add the necessary power to their shots and also ended up shooting wide after being hustled at the point of taking the hits. Kim's boys double-teamed near the backline a few times to steal the ball from Matthew Nelson and Alan Sothern just when they managed to get into dangerous positions.

Yet, it was not just desperate defending that got the Chinese home - the men in red were tidy as well.

#2 Clean and disciplined work in the D

The Chinese were tidy at the back and conceded just two PCs

The Irish did manage to penetrate the Chinese midfield quite often which did not seem to be as compact as it was against England.

Twenty-four circle entries for the Green Machine was proof enough that Sothern, Magee, and Nelson had the skill to get past China's outer wall but failed to outdo the deep defence which was resolute, tidy, and disciplined.

In spite of the fact that the circle was crowded quite often with the Chinese falling back in numbers and the Irish committing men forward, the men at the back timed their tackles to perfection, kept their sticks grounded, and kept their feet out of the way even amidst the chaos of the goalmouth scrambles.

The Chinese conceded just 2 penalty corners in spite of resisting a wave of Irish attacks, by being disciplined in defence. In stark contrast, the Chinese managed to earn 3 penalty corners in spite of managing just 4 circle entries!

The fact that Alexander Cox's troops managed to fire only eight shots on target was partly due to some effective policing in the circle apart from the fact the Irish were wasteful at times and could have done with better understanding amongst themselves.

#1 Ireland lack cohesion and marksmanship in the striking circle

The Irish were wasteful in spite of creating numerous chances

While the Chinese defence did a fair bit to thwart the Irish strikers, the Green Machine have only themselves to blame for quite a few chances being wasted in front of an almost-open goal.

Wang Caiyu got the angles covered many a time but even when the Chinese goalkeeper was partly beaten, the Irish strikers tried to get the ball into the net with almighty swings when all they needed to do was use their wrists to deftly guide the ball home.

As the Irish positioned themselves to take the powerful goalbound cracks, the nimble and fleet-footed Chinese defenders found the time to get their sticks in the way, as a result of which several shots were deflected wide while a few others failed to connect altogether.

Indian hockey fans would well have remembered their own team's travails in the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast when the strikers did everything that was needed to be done but failed to find the back of the net on account of not being cohesive enough in the attacking circle.

Alexander Cox will surely appreciate the fact that no matter how good the Chinese were in defending their citadel, the Green Machine could easily have scored a second had they been a bit more patient and organized in front of goal.

Sadly, they now face a herculean task and will need to get past England in order to be certain of making it to the crossovers. Incredibly enough, a win for either England or Ireland, on Friday, will be enough for the Chinese to advance to the knockouts.