Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, July 11: The co-hosts Spain defeated the Indian women’s hockey team 0-1 in a spirited crossover game on Monday, knocking them out of contention for the FIH World Cup championship. Three minutes from the final horn, Marta Segu scored off a rebound to send India out of the knockout rounds after a closely contested first three quarters.
India performed miserably in converting penalty corners once again, as it has done so far in the tournament. In the match, they scored four goals compared to Spain’s three, but all of their chances were in vain.
In the eighth minute, India received its first penalty corner, but the Spanish defence proved up to the challenge of stopping any advances. Both teams were a touch tentative in the opening quarter, making a few unforced errors that led to minimal opportunities for scoring. Following that, Spain focused only on finding a way around India’s back line.
Tuesday’s ninth-to-sixteenth-place classification match here will feature India’s next opponent, Canada. Australia will play Spain, England will play Argentina, and New Zealand will play Germany in the quarterfinals. Another of the co-hosts, the Netherlands, will play Belgium.