Sport

England piles on the agony for the Indians

S. Thyagarajan

HERO OF THE DAY: Simon Mantell (second from left) scored twice to give England a vital win over India in a Pool B encounter on Thursday. — PHOTO: AP

MONCHENGLADBACH: India suffered yet another devastation when England, trailing 1-0 at half-time, returned to register a 3-2 victory in a Pool B encounter of the hockey World Cup at the Warsteniner Park on Thursday.

If India needed a bit of luck, it did come in a large measure as England squandered two penalty strokes. Yet, the team tumbled out in the second half when a spate of penalty corners — six to be precise — laid it flat and out of contention for a semifinal berth.

Into the defensive mode, the Indian team was soon subjugated by England. Prompted by Ben Hawes in midfield and troubled initially by Jones Martin and later by James Tindell, the deep defence made a hash of things.

Desperate measures

There was a strain of desperation in everything the Indians did, be it in defence or attack. So much so, the sharpness of skill demanded by the occasion never surfaced.

Once again, the midfield suffered from the want of an expert feeder that put enormous strain on the attack, which could seldom function in harmony.

Shivendra Singh and Arjun Halappa showed flashes of brilliance, so did Tejbir. The only combined thrust in the first-half ended in a goal. A move by Halappa was shaped well by Gagan Ajit Singh. His tricky pass served the ball to Tushar Khandekar, whose cross was tapped in by Shivendra.

The lead should have brought more cohesion and flair but that was not to be, even after Bharat Chetri had baulked a penalty stroke by Ben Hawes. Right after the break, England obtained another stroke when Kanwalpreet Singh figured in an obstruction. But Richard Mantell flicked wide.

Rare touch of verve

However, it was becoming clear that India was losing in exchanges with the England frontline and midfield working well with a rare touch of verve. A yellow card for Hariprasad rendered the Indian attack weaker.

And during this phase, England piled on the pressure. James Tindell produced the equaliser with a neat shot and minutes later Simon Mantell put the team ahead. Just as one thought that India still had a chance to stage a comeback came the second goal by Mantell following a penalty corner.

Only four minutes remained for the hooter when India accelerated a bit forcing a penalty corner, which Dilip Tirkey converted. But that was too late in the day to save the match.

Coach Baskaran conceded that the defence did not work hard enough to take on the forthright approach of England's attackers and this ended in giving away six penalty corners in the second half alone.

Big win for Korea

South Korea caused an upset on Wednesday night by stunning Holland 3-2 in Pool B.

A 2-0 lead for Korea at half-time, thanks to splendid goals by Sik Hyo You, the first from a backhander and then from a delicate deflection, suggested a rout for the Netherlands. But the Dutch fought back through Ronald Brouwer and Taeke Takema to level the scores.

But 11 minutes before the hooter, Korea struck again when Ho Jong Seo scored the winner.

Pakistan blanks Japan

Pakistan, beating off a stiff Japanese challenge especially from the acrobatic goalkeeper Nagakoka, made a good start with a 4-0 win in Pool A. Sohail Abbas and Rehan Butt put the team ahead within the first quarter but found the going tough with Nagakoka making several outstanding saves.

The Pakistan goalkeeper Salman Akbar had to summon all his skill and experience to ward off the Japanese hitter, Yamabori.

Late in the match, Pakistan enlarged the lead through goals by Shakeel Abbasi and Sohail.

Spain downs Australia

An admirable synthesis of charm, craft and system saw European champion Spain overwhelm Olympic champion Australia 3-1 in Pool A. The co-ordination blend among the Spanish layers was striking as the Aussies realised within the first 25 minutes when two goals went on the board.

The frontline of Eduard Tabau, Pol Amat and Santi Friexa simply tore through the haphazard Aussie defence. Tabau's first goal was a beauty as he waltzed into the circle to fire the lead. Pol Amat's deflection off a free hit by Garza was equally exquisite.

The results:

England 3 bt India 2; Pakistan 4 bt Japan 0; Spain 3 bt Australia 1.

Korea 3 bt Holland 2.

Friday's matches: New Zealand vs. Pakistan (7:30 p.m.); England vs. Korea (9:30 p.m.); Spain vs. Argentina (11:45 p.m. IST).

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