FIH Women's World Cup 2022: India lose 3-4 to New Zealand, will take on Spain in crossover match

The Indian women's hockey team put on a commendable showing against New Zealand in their third Pool B match of the ongoing 2022 FIH Women's World Cup at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen on July 7 (Thursday).

The team's hard work, though, was in a losing effort, as the Savita-led Indian team suffered a 3-4 defeat at the hands of New Zealand. There's still a chance for the Indian side to make it to the knockouts. The Women in Blue will take on the team finishes finish second in Pool C in a crossover match to secure a berth in the quarter-finals.

In an action-packed contest, India kicked off aggressively as experienced forward Vandana Katariya, with the help of Lalremsiami, tapped the ball into the goalpost to hand her team a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute.

In response, New Zealand made a circle penetration in the 10th minute and earned a penalty corner soon after. Olivia Merry then scored the equalizer in the 12th minute.

Riding on this momentum, New Zealand once again made a circle penetration. This time, it was through Tessa Jopp who helped the Kiwis extend their lead to 2-1 in the 29th minute of the match.

Frances Davies converted the second PC in the 32nd minute to give her team with a 3-1 lead in the third quarter, mounting pressure on the Indian side.

Sushila Chanu once again created a chance for Lalremsiami, who deflected the ball into the net to keep India in the game as the scoreboard read 2-3 in the 44th minute.

India earned several penalty corners in the 47th minute but the Kiwi defense was successful in keeping the Indians at bay. Vigorous on all fronts, New Zealand's Olivia Merry converted a penalty corner in the 54th minute to help her team extend their lead to 4-2.

Although Gurjit Kaur converted a penalty corner in the 59th minute, the efforts from the Indian side were not enough. They lost the match 3-4 to the better team on the day, New Zealand.

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FIH Women's World Cup 2022: Indian women's hockey upcoming fixtures

India will now take on Spain, who finished second in Pool C in the cross-over match of the 2022 FIH Women's World Cup.

Date: July 10, 2022 Timings: 9:30 pm (IST)

FIH Women's World Cup 2022: Streaming details

All the 2022 FIH Women's World Cup matches are being telecast live on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3. Matches are also available for live streaming on the Disney+ Hotstar app.