The majestic Birsa Munda Stadium on the outskirts of Rourkela wore a festive look on Friday, the opening day of the FIH men’s hockey World Cup, and the Indian team ensured that the tournament kicked off in a celebratory mood by outplaying Spain 2-0 in a Pool D game.
And as icing on the cake for the thousands who packed the stadium, Amit Rohidas, who hails from Rourkela, scored the opening goal for India from a penalty corner in the 12th minute of the game. India’s second strike — a brilliant field goal in the 26th minute — came from the stick of Hardik Singh.
It was a commanding performance from India, blending offence and defence admirably well to defeat the European team. The win will definitely be a big boost for India as they chase their first World Cup medal since 1975, when they were crowned champions.
India could have won by a bigger margin. They got five penalty corners. Add to that captain Harmanpreet Singh missing a penalty stroke in the third quarter.
Young goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak deserves credit for his steady presence under the bar as he made some fine saves.
Controlled aggression
India had to be cautious of not slipping against a tricky Spain, who started the match on the front foot giving the hosts some nervous moments. In the four Pro League games last year, Spain had won two, losing only once.
But egged on by the fans, India quickly took control of the proceedings, winning crucial balls from their opponents. While Spain dominated the midfield battle in the initial minutes, India settled down soon and started pressing towards the end of the first quarter. India earned three penalty corners in quick succession and scored from the second one to take the lead through Rohidas.
The 29-year-old capitalised on a blocked drag flick from Harmanpreet to bury a shot in the goal, which was also India’s 200th goal in the competition.
The second quarter began in a similar fashion as the first, with Spain calling the shots initially in their endeavour to find the equaliser. But India responded well to add to their tally four minutes from half-time.
Hardik made a fantastic run down the left channel and then sent a cross towards the goal. It beat the Spanish goalkeeper and forced a deflection from a defender which sent the ball in for India’s second goal.
India could have scored more goals in the third quarter, but wasted their chances.
Crowd favourite Rohidas was awarded the player of the match. “Playing here felt really good, and this was a great win. Thank you to the crowd who turned up in such huge numbers and cheered us on so loudly,” he said.
Cash prize
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who flew to Rourkela on Friday to cheer the Indian team, announced cash bonus of Rs 10 lakh each for Rohidas and Nilam Sanjeep Xess, the two players from the state.
