JOIN USGritty Indians stage fine rally to hold Germany
A spirited Indian side put up a commendable show to hold Olympic champions Germany to a 1-1 draw in their Pool B game of the Hockey World League Final here on Saturday.
Niklas Wellen had put the Germans ahead in the opening quarter, but Akashdeep Singh struck early in the fourth quarter to draw parity as the Indians secured their first point of the tournament on a dry and humid day here.
Like the weather here, the Indians too have been unpredictable in the tournament so far. And on Friday they came out as a much improved side showing plenty of purpose as they tried to hit the right notes from the early moments of the game.
The spectators at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel stadium were not to be disappointed as the Sardar Singh-led side set the tone for the night that saw some end-to-end action.
Three minutes on the clock, Indians came close to opening their account in the tournament as Akashdeep Singh got past his man to set up Chinglensana Kangujam with a delightful ball from the left. But to the 23-year-old’s dismay, his shot from an acute angle was spectacularly parried away by the German goalkeeper Andreas Spack.
Meanwhile, Germany didn’t need a second invitation as Wellen put the Olympic champions ahead in the sixth minute with a clever hit. With the Indian defence allowing acres of space, Timur Oruz set up Wellen and he made no mistake in the sixth minute.
Not put off by the goal, the Indians stuck to their plan as they bombarded the German penalty area with waves of attacks, only to be disappointed with the final outcome.
While Ramandeep Singh missed a handful of sitters in front of the goal mouth, the German custodian Spack too displayed quick feet as he produced a string of quality saves to deny India a way back into the tie.
However, his resistance didn’t last long as Akashdeep eventually got India’s first goal of the tournament in the 47th minute. The 20-year-old Punjab player showed great composure to slot in the equaliser as he wrong-footed the keeper to reverse hit a Manpreet Singh pass.
Earlier, Great Britain recorded a convincing 3-1 win over Canada in Pool A, while world champions Australia edged past Belgium 1-0, thanks a 22nd minute goal by veteran Jamie Dwyer.
The British side, which left out a handful of experienced players like Ashley Jackson and Barry Middleton from their Raipur squad, was powered by goals from Simon Mantell (2nd minute and 23rd minute) and Alastair Brogdon (24th minute), while Canada pulled one back in the fourth minute through Mark Pearson who slotted in their only goal from a short corner.
In the other Pool B game of the day, defending champions the Netherlands beat Argentina 3-2.
Results: Pool A: Great Britain: 3 (Simon Mantell 2nd minute, 23rd) bt Canada: 1 (Mark Pearson 4th); Australia: 1 (Jamie Dwyer 22nd) bt Belgium: 0. Pool B: India: 1 (Akashdeep Singh 47th) drew with Germany: 1 (Niklas Wellen 6th); The Netherlands: 3 (Thierry Brinkman 10th, Seve van Ass 17th, Bovendeert Roel 22nd) bt Argentina: 2 (30th, 39th).
Today’s fixture: Belgium vs Canada (6:30 pm); Australia vs Great Britain (8:30 pm).