Hero Hockey World League semi-final, Canada beats India to book a berth in 2018 World Cup
Canada came back from 1-2 first half deficit to beat India 3-2 to get a passport to 2018 World Cup on the concluding day of the Hero Hockey World League semi-finals in London on Sunday. With this defeat, India finished a poor sixth, losing crucial games to teams placed much below it in the world rankings. India lost to Malaysia and now Canada besides losing to the Netherlands in the London tournament. Canada started with a penalty corner goal from Johnston in the first quarter. A brace of penalty corner conversions by Harmanpreet Singh put India ahead at the breather. Trailing 1-2 after changing ends, Kevin Pereira with a superb field goal brought Canada at par with India and Johnson surprised Indian defence with a mid circle reverse flick. Though India tried desperately in the remaining part of the game but could not get past the Canadian goalkeeper who brought off some smart saves. Earlier Canada had surprised Pakistan 6-0 in the opener and surprised India on the last day of the tournament. Getting a berth in the 2018 World Cup to be played in India was perhaps the main objective of the Canadian team. India, as hosts, plays both in the Hero Hockey World League Finals this December and the 2018 World Cup, both to be played in Bhubaneswar. —PTC News
