The Hindu : Sport : India avenges World Cup defeat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 25, 2007
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Sport

India avenges World Cup defeat

S. Thyagarajan

Boom (Belgium): India was confronted again by a sombre setting with rain and cold winds accentuating the discomfiture against England. In a contest that once again forced a must-win situation to remain in the race for final, the team perforce had to fight on several fronts to record a splendid 3-2 victory in the men’s Champions Challenge here.

India avenged its 2-3 defeat sustained at the last World Cup in Monchengladbach. True there was a touch of aggression in the initial phase but the England defence gave nothing away. The ploy of playing Sandeep Singh as a forward to keep him available for penalty corners worked well to some extent. But the two penalty corners that India forked out early did not bring in any rewards.

Fits and starts

The mid-field strove manfully but the attack functioned only in fits and starts. The enterprise of Sardara Singh kept the attack in flow but the frontline was anything but sharp. Only close on half-time did India manage to convert a chance when Rajpal Singh flicked in a pass from Roshan Minz who met a free hit from Dilip Tirkey.

The lead lasted just five minutes before England levelled from a penalty corner that culminated in Richard Mantell netting.

Within minutes after resumption, Dilip Tirkey produced a stunner of a penalty corner to put India ahead even as rain began intensifying. England, however, hit back from a disputed penalty corner by Jonty Clarke after Adrian D’Souza palmed a shot by Richard Mantell.

Prabhjot Singh who missed a glorious chance compensated by slotting the third from a free hit.

Inspired Belgium

Two splendid goals by Gregory Gucasoff from penalty corners and commendable work under the bar by Cedric Degreve provided the inspiration for Belgium to turn the tables on Argentina for a 3-1 victory in the second match.

Gucasoff hoisted the lead and struck another before halftime. Stunned by the developments

A penalty corner goal by Ignacio Gilardi perked up excitement among the big local crowd. But the 18-year-old Thomas Briels slotted in the third goal with panache.

Escalating pressure, Argentina reduced the leeway through a Lombi goal in the dying minutes but that was all the distance that it could go. Belgium was the deserving winner.

Ponderous

Meanwhile, even though the Kiwis overwhelmed Japan 4-0 in the afternoon they appeared ponderous. But the victory margin coupled with the 2-0 score against India on the opening day clearly underscored their ability to hit the target more than anyone in the event.

With three goals in two matches from penalty corners, Hayden Shaw is the Kiwi version of Sohail Abbas. The two he pumped in on Sunday were pleasing to behold.

The results: India 3 (Rajpal Singh, Dilip Tirkey, Prabhjot Singh) bt England 2 (Richard Mantell, Jonty Clarke).