The Hindu: Improved India rallies to hold Germany

By Uthra Ganesan

After a pedestrian performance in its opening game, it was a different India that turned up against Germany on Saturday, holding the Olympic champion to a 1-1 draw with a much-improved performance in the Hockey World League Finals here.

Coach Roelant Oltmans had made it clear that he “did not want to see the kind of performance” that came against Argentina “ever again.” The threat clearly worked. India was better in every department of the game, including confidence. It attacked more, kept up the pressure and ensured that the Germans had to earn their goal.

Showing greater urgency right from the beginning, India’s first shot at goal came in the fourth minute when Martin Zwicker made a desperate clearance on the goalline to thwart Chinglensana Singh. A minute later, Sardar Singh’s brilliant pass from the half line went waste with Talwinder Singh unable to hold on.

In control

With 53 per cent possession, the Indians held control for a major part of the game. The figure was the same as against Argentina but the difference was in making use of that advantage. While India had a total of four shots in the opening game, it entered the German D 24 times on Saturday. In comparison, the Europeans could manage only 18, a mark of the much-improved Indian defence.

The constant attack, however, also opened up the defence to counter-attacks and Germany, struggling to come to terms with a resurgent India, struck home in the sixth minute. Timur Oruz broke past three Indian defenders to put an unmarked Niklas Wellen through and the latter made no mistake in slotting the ball in.

The reversal, however, did not put India on the backfoot. Unlike on Friday, the team kept pressing ahead despite trailing, looking to break into the opposition striking circle and earn a penalty corner.

Manpreet Singh and Sardar Singh were outstanding in the midfield, fuelling the forwards with accurate and incisive crosses, advancing from the centre and right. Goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh came good yet again under the bar, warding off repeated threats, two back-to-back saves in the eighth minute and a penalty corner.

The repeated pressing ahead kept the Germans under pressure and in the 48thh minute, goalkeeper Nicolas Jacobi finally faltered as Manpreet’s pass from the 25-yard line to an unmarked Akashdeep Singh was put through the goalkeeper’s legs for the equaliser.

That goal recharged the Indians and despite being a man down for the last 10 minutes — first with Ramandeep out and then Raghunath picking up a yellow card — the host managed to keep Germany at bay. On the flipside, committing fouls in the dying minutes is something the Indian defence, in particular Raghunath, needs to worry about.

The results: Pool A: Great Britain 3 (Simon Mantell 2, Alastair Brogdon) bt Canada 1 (Mark Pearson); Australia 1 (Jamie Dwyer) bt Belgium 0.

Pool B: India 1 (Akashdeep Singh) drew with Germany 1 (Niklas Wellen).