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India’s chief coach Graham Reid was quite tense as the clock ticked away during India and England's Pool D group match in Rourkela on Sunday at the 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup.
A thrilling encounter that saw as many as 12 penalty corners, eight earned by England, ended in a goalless draw and both the teams shared a point each.
England and India both have four points in their kitty after the second round of Pool D matches. But England, with a better goal difference, are ahead of India. The group's table toppers will automatically get a berth into the quarterfinals. While second and third-placed teams will have to go through the grind of cross-over matches to earn a berth for the last eight stages of the World Cup.
Reid will continue to have anxious moments until the next match on January 19 against Wales as India will have to score an impact win against Wales to surge ahead of England, who will face the Spanish team in another Pool D encounter earlier during the day.
The Indian coach was hoping for a bit of luck on Sunday to enable his boys to win the full three points atop Pool D. India were awarded as many as four penalty corners against England, but all went abegging. India and England are amongst the top hockey-playing nations in the world and are always engaged in fierce contests to achieve supremacy.
India came close to scoring in the third quarter when Mandeep Singh pushed the ball into the goalpost but the umpire had already blown the whistle for a foul.
For his stellar performance under the bar, English goalkeeper Oliver Payne was declared player of the match. Here is what he said:
"We had a good game overall but are a little disappointed not to have capitalized on the scoring opportunities we had in the match. It was a game we could have won, but it’s a hard-earned point and we will take it,” Payne said in a post-match interaction.
On a given day, the Indian team did all it could do against a spirited England team but the all-important goal remained elusive.
“The team has to continue to play well,” India’s chief coach Graham Reid said post-match interaction.
