The Indian women’s hockey team succumbed to the pressure of a must-win match and were knocked out of semi-final contention after playing out a goalless draw against Australia in Amstelveen, Netherlands on Saturday (local time).
India needed a win to advance to the last four while a draw was enough for the Aussies to make it to the last four on the basis of more number of goals scored.
The goal difference for both teams stood identical at minus two but Australia had three strikes compared to India’s two. Both teams had drawn their opening Pool D match against China.
The Indian team, which had performed brilliantly before losing to the Netherlands by two goals in the first match of the second leg, looked out of rhythm on the day.
They missed several chances and struggled to retain possession against Australia, ranked just one place above them.
Chief coach Sjoerd Marijne even substituted goalkeeper Bichu Devi in the final five minutes trying to throw the kitchen sink at the opposition but to no avail.
Having finished third in the group, India will now play a classification match, while the Netherlands and Australia have advanced to the semi-finals from Pool E.
The Indian players lacked the agility and co-ordination they had shown so far in the tournament in the first half.
There were plenty of miss passes, and they repeatedly lost control in the midfield.
Australia started aggressively in the first quarter and appeared to have taken the lead in the second minute with a close-range shot, but India took a referral and the TV umpire disallowed the goal, ruling it dangerous.
In the fourth minute, Baljeet Kaur passed the ball to Ishika, but she lost possession inside the circle.
Australia came close to scoring again in the 10th minute when Amy Lawton attempted a reverse shot from the right, but veteran custodian Savita made a brilliant save.
In the 13th minute, Neha lost possession in midfield as Australia dominated the opening 15 minutes, although neither side managed to score.
In the very first minute of the second quarter, Australia earned a penalty corner, but the injection was poor. The ball still found the net after deflecting off an Indian defender’s stick.
Two minutes later, Grace Young attempted a reverse shot from inside the circle, which Bichu parried diving right.
Midfielder Ishika was injured in the 26th minute, while two minutes later Lalremsiami was hurt while attempting to snatch the ball from an Australian player.
She was struck on the knee at close range and received attention from the physio and umpire. She later returned to the field.
India received a penalty corner just before halftime when Salima Tete stepped forward, but the ball hit an Australian defender’s foot.
Deepika was not on the field at the time. India tried a variation and, instead of a direct slap hit.
Navneet played a square pass to Nikki, who was clumsy in execution as the ball bounced off her foot.
After a barren first-half, Australia had a golden opportunity in the 37th minute when Stephanie Kershaw took a powerful shot from in front of the goal after receiving a cross from the left, but the ball hit the side netting.
Two minutes later, Australia earned a penalty corner when Alice Arnott’s shot hit Sakshi. Kershaw’s shot was deflected into the penalty corner, and the Australian players began celebrating, but the ball bounced in the air and hit Shilpi’s body. The umpire ruled it a dangerous ball.
India had a chance to score in the final minute of the third quarter when Navneet passed the ball from the circle line to Baljeet on the right, who in turn sent a cross to Deepika, who failed to control the assist.
Australia earned their third penalty corner in the 46th minute when Neha lost the ball in midfield and an Australian player’s shot hit Sushila’s foot.
Claire Colwill’s drag-flick was blocked by the Indian defence. Australia earned a second consecutive penalty corner, but Salima took a referral, which determined that the ball had hit her stick.
India had another golden opportunity in the 48th minute when Salima made a brilliant run from the right and passed the ball to Navneet, but a misunderstanding between Navneet and Lalremsiami led to the ball slipping away.
Australia wasted a penalty corner in the 54th minute. Marijne removed the goalkeeper in the final five minutes, giving India an extra player. Australia’s penalty corner in the 59th minute was denied by Salima’s brilliant rushing out but by then India’s hopes were dashed.
