India faces Spain for place in quarters

TERRASSA(SPAIN): After finishing a disappointing third in Pool B, India will take on tournament co-host Spain in the Women’s Hockey World Cup crossover match here on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.

In the pool stage, the India team, led by goalkeeper Savita Punia, played out two draws against England (1-1) and China (1-1) before suffering a 3-4 loss to New Zealand. India finished with two points, setting up a clash with Spain, which came second in Pool C.

Ahead of the crossover contest, Savita said: “We knew that the pool matches would be really tough. We fought hard and never gave up, but it is just that the results did not go in our favour. However, we should quickly put them behind us and focus on what is next. We are still in contention and will give our everything to qualify for the quarter-finals.”

Meanwhile, vice-captain Deep Grace Ekka stressed on the need to make improvements. “We created many chances, especially in the last match, but our conversion was not up to the mark. So, we certainly have to improve on our conversion; we have to be more clinical. At the end, it is all about converting those opportunities,” she stated.

India’s rival Spain registered two wins and a loss in the pool stage. Spain started its campaign with a 4-1 win against Canada, but lost 1-4 to Argentina in its second match. However, it bounced back with a 4-1 victory over Korea to finish second in Pool C.

The last time World No.9 India and World No.7 Spain faced each other was during the FIH Pro League, where they shared the honours. India won the first match 2-1 while Spain responded with a 4-3 victory in the second leg of the double-header.