Both teams began the game having suffered defeats in the first round of Pool A matches, but it was New Zealand who won 3-1 in the final match on day 2 of the Hero Hockey League Finals.
New Zealand made it clear from the first whistle that they were determined to make up for the previous day's poor showing. The Pool A game was only seconds old when Shea McAleese (1') opened the Black Sticks account. His goal, scored through open play, steadied the team's nerves while the sheer physicality and steadiness of the New Zealand players seemed to rock India's confidence.
India were not without their chances in the first half, but their deft stick work was often let down in the final phase of the game. That said, they won two penalty corners in quick succession but Black Sticks goalkeeper, Devon Manchester cleared the ball from the circle easily on both occasions. At the end of the first half, India were left rueing missed chances while New Zealand looked comfortable on the ball and solid in defence.
The second half saw much of the same. India played some quick, inventive hockey, and Chandanda Thimmaiah was unlucky to see his shot fly over the cross bar, but it was New Zealand who again took their chance. A free hit found Stephen Jenness (41') unmarked in the circle and he duly slotted the ball 10 minutes later it was Jenness who scored again, and virtually ensuring victory for the Black Sticks over the host nation.
India did not stop playing however, and with just over two minutes left to play Mandeep Singh (68') seized on a loose ball and shot home to the delight of the crowd.
The final score of 3-1 to the Black Sticks means that after the second round of matches, India sit at the bottom of Pool A with a match against Olympic champions Germany on Monday. New Zealand will face Speaking on the win, Colin Batch said, “I am happy tonight. It is a tough tournament. We are focused on improving from game to game. Our team was creating chances and converting them. Hopefully we will continue to play like this during the tournament and add to our wins.”
Disappointed at the loss, Terry Walsh, coach of the Indian team said, “We give credit to our opposite teams who are not letting India make headway in winning the matches. The team is low on confidence but it has to be rebuilt. New Zealand played a different game in each time period and our team was not prepared for this change. It will take time for them to learn and perform with new strategies in place.”
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