India played out a goalless draw against England in an entertaining Pool D match to remain in contention for a direct quarter-final berth in the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup here on Sunday.

In an evenly contested match, both the sides failed to score despite getting ample chances to force a result at the jam-packed Birsa Munda Stadium.

England got eight penalty corners against India’s four. But the home team defended well to deny the Englishmen.

England and India are now on four points each from two matches. The group-toppers will be decided on Thursday when India play Wales and England take on Spain in their last Pool matches. Both the games will be played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

If two teams are on equal points and have won the same number of matches, the side which has a better goal-difference will be ranked higher. England’s goal difference is plus-5, while India’s is plus-2.

It was England who dominated in the first quarter as they got five penalty corners one after the other. In the second quarter, England kept the pressure on but still couldn’t find the elusive goal.

India were unlucky not to have taken the lead in the 38th minute as Hardik Singh’s double shot was saved by the England goalie. Soon after England’s Sam Ward wasted a golden opportunity when he shot wide from a one-on-one situation with India keeper PR Sreejesh.

Then Mandeep Singh missed a glorious chance to score in the 41st minute as he got a free hit just near the top of England ‘D’ but he faltered.

The packed stadium thought India had taken the lead in the last minute of the third quarter after the ball went inside the English goal, but the umpire ruled that it had already hit an Indian leg.

Easy for Spain

In the first match of the day, Marc Reyna and Marc Miralles struck a brace each as Spain outplayed Wales 5-1.

Wales’ lone goal was scored by James Carson in the 52nd minute.

Written with inputs from PTI

Stadium gets ‘largest’ vote

FIH president Tayyab Ikram on Sunday. PTI photo

Bhubaneswar: The Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela has been officially declared the largest hockey stadium in the world by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

“There has been a lot of debate on whether the Rourkela stadium is the biggest one... I can simply tell you that 20,000- plus seats, which organisers have made it to 21,800 now, you don’t have this capacity anywhere in the world. Full stop.

“And let’s appreciate that,” Tayyab Ikram, the FIH president, said on Sunday while addressing a media conference in Rourkela.

“There is a smart, fantastic infrastructure which provides a fantastic platform to our broadcasters. It provides the best-ever facilities to our athletes...

“That’s more important. I have not seen such infrastructure and such kind facilities for our top athletics,” he said. The stadium has been built by the Odisha state government at a cost of Rs 261 crores.

SUBHASHISH MOHANTY