New Delhi, 13 Jan 2014: In a fascinating clash with Olympic champions Germany, a rejuvenated India showed glimpses of their potential and proved their unpredictable nature with aggression and artistry which the top hockey-playing nations fear. They made Germany huff and puff and were on the verge of pulling off a victory against the mighty World #1 but that was not to be as the men in black and white struck with just two minutes left on the clock.
It was a 3-3 draw that provided thrilling excitement and kept the 1000-odd crowd on their edge. They enjoyed every minute, though. But the lone point India earned did not help them avoid the wooden spoon in the pool and they will taking on another mighty team, the World Champions Australia, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday after a day of rest.
Playing with a determination and renewed vigour, the Indians displayed attacking style of hockey right from the word `go’ with incisive raids on the rival citadel which kept the German defence busy. Linus Butt and Martin Haner, however, foiled many a foray to keep themselves in the game till the end and gave their forwards a chance to strike the last-minute equaliser.
India took a first look at the rival goal with an unconvincing raid involving Sunil and Lakra in the very 2nd minute and Sunil once again forays a couple of minutes later and waits for the umpire to blow for a short corner which was not there. Nevertheless, it gave an inkling of the things to come as India showed sting in the attack and mounted raid after raid that took the mighty Germans by surprise. Indians earned their first short corner in the 12th minute, but a Raghunath drag flick was anticipated well and palmed away by the German goalkeeper Tim Jessulat.
The sustained pressure upfront yielded results in the 19th minute when a long cross into the goal deflected off German player Benedick Furk’s stick. Notwithstanding that it was an `own goal’ by the Germans that gave India a 1-0 lead, it buoyed the team and boisterous crowd kept the Indian spirits up by egging on the team fervently.
However, the Germany restored parity within five minute when skipper Oliver Korn deflected a long cross sent in by Martin Haner following a swift counter attack that took the Indians by surprise.
The Germans tried to slow down the pace of the game by rotating the ball with long passes and switching flanks but India suddenly appeared to excited and the pep talk on the rest day by coach Terry Walsh after suffering two defeats seems to have worked. Therr passing was better, trapping improved and unforced errors reduced but “one swallow does not make a summer’’ quipped the coach. He said:
“We have to genuinely produce this kind of hockey for over a period of time and sustain it,’’ said Walsh. Only then we can start climbing the ladder of world rankings…
Indians went into the break with a clear psychological advantage when they forced a short corner three minutes before the break. Not conceding a goal in the first five minutes of the match and scoring goals in the last five minutes of each half are some of the psychological inputs that are being grilled into the minds of the Indian players. With Raghunath missing twice, the coach decided that Rupinder Singh takes the third Indian penalty corner and Rupinder was bang on target with a waist-level flick to the right of the goalkeeper Tim.
Germans switched up gears in the second half and the Indian defence, who were up to the mark in the first session, starting making mistakes. Germans muffed a short corner two minutes after the break found the equalizer courtesy India’s own goal.
India repaid the favour to Germans in the 41st minute with an own goal that equalized the scores at 2-2. Two same-side goals speak badly for the game of hockey where instead of skill playing a part, two fluke goals surfacing in a single game is too much on the plate of a statistician. The rules were changed introducing own goals after the last Olympics.
However, India continued to be aggressive in the attack and found the German goalkeeper Tim Jessulat a hard nut to crack until the Indians, very much unlike their usual style, focused on getting a penalty corner, rather than trying to score improbable goals. This yielded results and in the 52nd minute India earned a short corner and this time it was Rupinder who executed the drag flick. But the German golie was up to the mark and blocked the low flick and the rebound went as far as Dharamvir Singh, who returned to play after taking the push. He was unmarked and just banged in a first-timer and goalie Tim had no answer this time. India was in the lead once again at 3-2.
Eighteen minutes left in the play and Indians were not known to understand the strategy or implement the coach’s plan. Defending a narrow lead for 18 long minutes is a tough task. But the Indians continued their attack, may be the best form of defence under the circumstances but the German juggernaut, cool and relaxed as ever with long passes and slow game, struck the equalizer in the fag end, with just two minutes remaining on the clock. In reply to a query by a journalist if they were lucky to escape with a draw, the German coach Markus Weise said: “There is no luck involved. We scored three goals and they scored three goals and it is called a draw.’’ The Germans giants are trained to score late goals but the Indians have to learn to defend their lead in the fag end. For that one needs psychological fitness and not just game skills. That is what the Indian coach Terry Walsh is focusing on right now.
For the record, the German equalizer came through Thilo Stralkowski who shed his marker and slammed the boards after being put in possession by Pit Arnold diagonal pass.
India will take on Australia in the knockout quarterfinals after a day of rest on Tuesday while Germany will play the Netherlands.
ends