India held England to a hard-fought goalless draw in their second Pool D Hockey World Cup 2023 match in Rourkela, on Saturday. Both teams seeked the winner till the end but there was nothing to separate them in all four quarters. With the draw, England are now on top of Pool D due to better goal difference than India. England began their campaign with a 5-0 win vs Wales, and India sealed a 2-0 victory against Spain. The hosts face Wales in their final group encounter on January 19 in Bhubaneswar. Meanwhile, England take on Spain in their final group clash.
Despite the draw, India are still in the hunt for a direct quarterfinals qualification. Speaking after the match, head coach Graham Reid pointed out that his team had been leaking goals since the Tokyo Olympics, but have now managed to keep back-to-back cleansheets, which is a positive. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side conceded 25 goals and scored 17 against Australia in a five-match series before the showpiece event.
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In bad news,in-form midfielder Hardik Singh was injured in the final minutes of the final quarter against England, and could be seen holding his right hamstring as he was helped off the field. Giving an update on Hardik, Reid said, “I don’t know. I have to check but it’s not looking good.”
During the game, India conceded eight penalty corners and earned four. Reid pointed out that England are an attacking side and they create opportunities. Reid stated that the side defended well and the goalkeeper didn’t have to touch the ball from the penalty corners. Happy after the match, he stated, “Both teams will feel that way when the match ends in a 0-0 draw and a lot of opportunities were available to both the sides. It was a missed opportunity, we need to get better results in the circle. But I am happy with the fight and committment shown today. It was a nice game to watch, there was a lot of high-skill hockey played. Both teams will be in high stead for the next match.”
