India end on winning note, beat Oly champ 5-4
18 Jan 2014 6:23 AM IST
Trailing 1-3 at halftime, man of the match Mandeep Singh scored a hat-trick while Rupinder Singh scored a brace, including a last minute drag-flick, earning the hosts their first victory of the tournament. India will now take on Belgium for the 5-6 position match while Germany will play Argentina for 7-8 positions.
Germany came out all guns blazing and silenced the crowd with a two goal lead at the start. Skipper Oliver Korn scored (4th minute) when he found an empty Indian striking circle, going past goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh. Thilo Stralkowski made it 2-0 with a penalty corner conversion two minutes later. India had their first chance when forward Yuvraj Walmiki found the ball in a clear German defence but pushed it inches wide. India slowly gained confidence and started penetrating the German defence.
India got off the mark when a VR Raghunath cross found Mandeep, who hit from a difficult angle but was successful as the ball hit the post and went in. Germany had another chance (19th) when they earned their second penalty corner. But a courageous Rupinder ran straight at the ball and put India out of danger by clearing it. Skipper Sardar Singh showed glimpses of his skills, duly performing his role of a playmaker.
Germany went into the break with a 3-1 lead when a cross from Florian Fuchs was scored by Benjamin Wess (27th). India did not waste time in the second period, scoring two back-to-back goals.
Netherlands to face New Zealand in final
New Delhi: The Netherlands will face underdogs New Zealand in the summit clash of Hockey World League on Saturday after the two teams eked out hard-fought wins over world champions Australia and England on Friday. The Netherlands defeated Australia 4-3 in a thrilling second semifinal after New Zealand pipped out England 7-6 via penalty shoot-out in a keenly contested first semifinal match. The first semifinal went into the penalty shoot-out after both teams finished at 3-3 in regulation time. Ric Charlesworth's Australia will now face fourth ranked England in the third-fourth place play-off match on Saturday.
Germany came out all guns blazing and silenced the crowd with a two goal lead at the start. Skipper Oliver Korn scored (4th minute) when he found an empty Indian striking circle, going past goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh. Thilo Stralkowski made it 2-0 with a penalty corner conversion two minutes later. India had their first chance when forward Yuvraj Walmiki found the ball in a clear German defence but pushed it inches wide. India slowly gained confidence and started penetrating the German defence.
India got off the mark when a VR Raghunath cross found Mandeep, who hit from a difficult angle but was successful as the ball hit the post and went in. Germany had another chance (19th) when they earned their second penalty corner. But a courageous Rupinder ran straight at the ball and put India out of danger by clearing it. Skipper Sardar Singh showed glimpses of his skills, duly performing his role of a playmaker.
Germany went into the break with a 3-1 lead when a cross from Florian Fuchs was scored by Benjamin Wess (27th). India did not waste time in the second period, scoring two back-to-back goals.
Netherlands to face New Zealand in final
New Delhi: The Netherlands will face underdogs New Zealand in the summit clash of Hockey World League on Saturday after the two teams eked out hard-fought wins over world champions Australia and England on Friday. The Netherlands defeated Australia 4-3 in a thrilling second semifinal after New Zealand pipped out England 7-6 via penalty shoot-out in a keenly contested first semifinal match. The first semifinal went into the penalty shoot-out after both teams finished at 3-3 in regulation time. Ric Charlesworth's Australia will now face fourth ranked England in the third-fourth place play-off match on Saturday.
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