Hockey World Cup: India will have to register a big win over Wales on Thursday, January 19, for a direct entry into the quarter-finals of the Hockey World Cup. India and England have 4-4 points in Pool-D, but the English team is on top due to more goals. England need to beat Spain to top Pool D. The match between India and Wales will start at 7:00 PM on Thursday.
India beat Spain 2-0 in their first match, while the second match ended in a goalless draw with England. England recorded a massive 5–0 victory over Wales in their first match. Third-placed Spain beat Wales 5–1. Barring last-placed Wales in this pool, all three countries are contenders to top the points table. Teams of 16 countries playing in the Hockey World Cup are divided into pools of 4-4. The first team in each pool will get a direct ticket to the last eight. The remaining four teams will reach the quarter-finals through cross-overs.
Chances for India to reach last eight
- India will have to beat Wales and if Spain and England draw the match, then India will reach the first place with seven points.
- If both India and England win or draw against both, then the team with more goals will be in first place.
- Spain defeats England. If Wales hold India to a draw or beat them, then Spain will move to the top.
Penalty corner to be converted into goal
India got 9 penalty corners in the last 2 matches. Of these, only one was scored against Spain. At the same time, all four penalty corners against England could not be scored. However, India’s defense line did well against England. The eight penalty corners awarded to England were thwarted by the Indian team.
Enthused by winning bronze medals in the Tokyo Olympics and silver medals in the Commonwealth Games, Team India has a golden chance to win the World Cup this time at home. Star drag-flicker skipper Harmanpreet fails to control the ball at the penalty corner. He and the rest of the players need to concentrate on scoring as many goals as possible while adopting an aggressive approach.
India has always won against Wales
There have been a total of 3 hockey matches between India and Wales so far. In these, the Indian team has won all the matches. India had defeated Wales thrice in Commonwealth Games in 2014, 2018 and 2022. Last year in Birmingham, India registered a 4-1 win over Wales. For the first time in the World Cup, both the teams are face to face.
Read this- Hockey World Cup: A thorny match between India and England, 12 penalty corners were seen, yet no goal was scored
Credit: bharat.republicworld.com /