India surprises the hosts to win the third match
India surprises the hosts to win the third match
India could not have asked for more. A splendid and convincing 5-2 win over World Cup bronze medalist Spain in the third Test at Murcia must have warmed cockles of hearts of hockey lovers back home.
At the end of the third match two teams were level; 1-1 with one game having ended in a 1-1 draw.
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In a display of an improved display of attack and tactical defending helped the visiting the Indian women's hockey team to record its first win in three games. The win came convincingly against the hosts and World Cup bronze medalists.
Young striker from Mizoram Lalremsiami (17th and 58th minute) was certainly the darling of Indian team for scoring twice while Neha Goyal (21st minute), Navneet Kaur (32nd minute), and skipper Rani (51st minute) made sure that India remains in the lead after conceding an early goal in the first quarter.
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It was Spain who scored the first goal in the seventh minute of the match through Berta Boaster putting India on the back foot. But a determined India made a quick recovery with striker Lalremsiami's fine goal in the 17th minute and then further improvised their attack to score in the 21st minute via Neha Goyal to take a strong 2-1 lead.
Navneet Kaur struck a splendid third goal for the team in the 32nd minute that took India's lead to 3-1. Though Berta Bonastre scored her second goal of the match in the 35th minute that narrowed India's lead to 3-2, India worked on a powerful finish in the fourth quarter with Skipper Rani scoring in the 51st minute followed by young striker Lalremsiami scoring again for India in the 58th minute which helped India seal the match 5-2.
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Having lost the opening match 2-3 and drawn the second match 1-1, India showed a zealous performance with fewer unforced errors to dominate the match. "I am pleased with today's performance. We are working to be consistent in our performance. We are improving match-by-match. This is a process and we need to keep repeating such performances to grow further. I am giving constant feedback on individual performance and behavior. Some are learn fast while some need a little bit more time. But overall, we are progressing well and beating World Cup medal winner on its home ground is a big confidence boost for this young team," expressed Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne.
-PTC NEWS
