India land 1-2 blow on Spain with comeback wins

Within the team, Navneet Kaur is hailed as the best player in one-on-one situations. On Saturday, the India forward showed why her teammates rate her skill so highly.
India were having trouble creating anything against Spain in their home debut in the Pro League. To complicate the situation for them, Spain capitalised on their dominant start and took the lead in the 18th minute through Marta Segu. India were looking for inspiration, and it came from Navneet, who efficiently goes about her business on the pitch, almost unnoticed.

Within a minute of restart after conceding the goal, Navneet found herself with the ball along the line inside the Spanish ‘D’, on the left. Squeezed to the side, surrounded red shirts and seemingly nowhere to go, Navneet, one would have thought, would go for the easier option and find a Spanish foot to earn a penalty corner. Instead, she went for the audacious, trusting her skills to slightly raise the ball, dribble it in the air, beat a couple of defenders on the way and play a square pass towards Jyoti Gulia. It was a near-perfect execution of the ‘3D’ dribble and all Jyoti had to do was tap the ball into an empty goal, which she did.

Some winning moments to relive from the clash against Spain!🤩#IndiaKaGame #FIHPROLEAGUE #hockeyatitsbest #HockeyIndia @IndiaSports @Media_SAI @CMO_Odisha @sports_odisha pic.twitter.com/hGMdW0qzdG
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) February 26, 2022

The move and the goal gave India much-needed belief against an opponent ranked three places above them. And even though the visitors enjoyed more possession and created better chances, India lived up to their reputation of being the ultimate fighters and kept denying the Spanish attackers, before Neha Goyal scored the winning goal in the 52nd minute on the back of some really smart work Vandana Katariya to create space in a crowded ‘D’ for the ass.
It was a remarkable turnaround a team that struggled to keep the ball in the first half and was second-best in most situations. India had fewer shots, circle penetrations, possession and penalty corners than Spain at halftime. One of the main reasons they were still in the game was the ever-reliable goalkeeper Savita Punia.
From the time when women’s hockey was largely on the fringes before it took the centre stage at the Tokyo Olympics, Savita has been the custodian of the side, literally and figuratively speaking. She was instrumental in helping India qualify for the Olympics after more than three decades in 2016. She, once again, was instrumental in ensuring the team reached Tokyo and in the Japanese capital, her performances under the bar earned universal acclaim as India narrowly missed out on a medal.
Even as the team goes through a transitional phase, Savita remains one of the pillars. The captain, standing in for an injured Rani Rampal, thwarted wave after wave of Spanish attacks in the first half, most from the right flank, to keep India alive in the match. Her saves were crucial as Spain wore down as the minutes ticked and were barely able to create any clear-cut chances in the second half, whereas India scored from the only opportunity they got.
The win meant India, making their debut in the competition meant for world hockey’s elite, are still unbeaten. But coach Janneke Schopman would be concerned with the team constantly losing the ball inside their own half, and also being unable to win a single penalty corner. Despite these shortcomings, India showed enough grit to walk away with three points. But Schopman knows Spain will be unforgiving when the two teams meet again on Sunday.
Men come back from 1-4 down, win 5-4
The men’s team, which was under pressure to perform after a shock defeat to France earlier this month, looked on course to another embarrassing loss when Spain raced to a 4-1 lead midway into the third quarter thanks to Marc Miralles’s hat-trick.
That, however, seemed to wake them from their slumber as Graham Reid’s side staged a remarkable comeback to win 5-4, with Harmanpreet Singh scoring the decisive goal from a penalty stroke with just five seconds left in the game.

The game changed and how 🤩What a comeback from #MenInBlue in the second half!
IND 5:4 ESP#IndiaKaGame #FIHPROLEAGUE #hockeyatitsbest #HockeyIndia @CMO_Odisha @sports_odisha @IndiaSports @Media_SAI pic.twitter.com/tERNnPORnP
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) February 26, 2022

The win, however, will paper over a lot of cracks, especially in the defence, which has leaked goals against three different opponents in the last few matches. Before conceding four against Spain, India had allowed France and Japan to score five goals each in their matches in the Pro League and the Asian Champions Trophy respectively. With the midfield giving away the ball too cheaply and the backline repeatedly sliced open, the goalkeepers have often been left in a vulnerable position.

India have been made to pay for their defensive makes in the past. On Saturday, they were bailed out the attackers, who entered the Spanish ‘D’ almost every two minutes and although they were not able to find the right pass that would lead to a goal, India earned six penalty corners, three of which were converted into goals Harmanpreet, Shamsher Singh and Varun Kumar.
The courage to mount a fightback from a losing position would please Reid. However, when the two teams meet again on Sunday, the coach will hope his defence wouldn’t leak as many goals.

Score:
Women: India 2 (Jyoti 20’, Neha 42’) bt Spain 1 (Segu 18’)
Men: India 5 (Harmanpreet 15’, 60’, Shilanand 41’, Shamsher 43’, Varun 55’) bt Spain 4 (Cunill 14’, Miralles 20’, 23’, 40’)