Hockey heartbreak, again

Two days before the FIH Hockey World Cup crossover game, New Zealand coach Greg Nicol and their captain Simon Child candidly said they were the underdogs and the complete pressure was on India to win it. India coach Graham Reid and skipper Harmanpreet Singh, a day later, agreed in unison that the Black Sticks have nothing to lose and they are aware of the danger their opponents posed.

On a cool Sunday at a packed Kalinga Stadium, India experienced firsthand why New Zealand are one of the most underrated and dangerous sides in the world. The Black Sticks, who struggled to get a hold of the game till halftime, handled the crunch moments better to stun the hosts 5-4 in penalty shootout after the wild game ended 3-3 in regulation time.

India have only themselves to blame for the stinging defeat that will definitely rankle them for years to come, losing control of a game in an inexplicable fashion. They surrendered the lead twice in regulation time through shambolic defending and then had the chance to seal it in the shootout, thanks in large part to goalkeeper PR Sreejesh who produced two outstanding saves to keep them in the hunt and push the penalties into sudden death.

The first chance came to Harmanpreet Singh in sudden death after New Zealand’s Nic Woods effort was saved by Sreejesh. It was the perfect shot at redemption for the reigning FIH Player of the Year who has had a disappointing outing this tournament. And it just went from bad to worse for him as he chose to strike the moment he entered the circle. Goalkeeper Leon Hayward didn’t have to move a muscle to parry it away. Harmanpreet, looking downcast, knew he let slip a great opportunity.

One could sense how the pressure was clouding the judgement of Indian players. They were doing things they normally wouldn’t do and New Zealand, despite choking at various stages, were just about keeping their heads above water through sheer will and some luck.

Sukhjeet then squandered a chance to win it after Hayden Phillips missed before Shamsher Singh was left with the unenviable job of keeping India in the game following Sam Lane’s successful conversion. The pressure was telling and Shamsher fumbled on his first attempt. Luckily for him, the umpire made him retake for a foul by Hayward. He had a second bite at the cherry but that tasted even worse as he missed send the vast majority in the stadium into disbelief and the Indian players sinking to their knees totally dejected.

It was an end the Indians never foresaw after they led 2-0 in the 24th minute. They were dominating possession after a measured start and were beginning to assert themselves. But New Zealand, out of nowhere, scored a brilliant opening goal and levelled through Russell in the 43rd minute to shift the pressure on India.

The hosts did come back through a Varun Kumar goal in the 40th minute but Findlay showed the steely stuff the Black Sticks are made of with an equaliser in the 49th minute. Thereafter India crumbled. Next up is classification matches in Rourkela and not a shot at the big prize here in Bhubaneswar, something they never envisioned.

Results: New Zealand: 5 (Sam Lane 28th, Kane Russell 43rd, Sean Findlay 49th) bt India: 4 (Lalit Kumar Upadhay 17th, Sukhjeet Singh 24th, Varun Kumar 40th) via shootout. FT: 3-3; Spain: 4 (Marc Miralles 40th, Xavier Gispert 41st) bt Malaysia: 3 (Faizal Saari 34th, Shello Silverius 48th) via shootout. FT: 2-2.