Indian hockey skipper Harmanpreet Singh urged his team to “finish well” as they suffered their first defeat in the ongoing FIH Men’s Pro League going down to lower-ranked Spain.
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Execution of penalty corners once again became the talking point as India lost to Spain 2-3 here on Sunday, which came on the back of a thrilling 4-3 win over New Zealand in the tournament-opener. “We were creating a lot of chances. We received a lot of penalty corners. We were trying for different variations and combinations.
It was a closely contested match between India and Spain. Have a look at some gripping moments from yesterday’s match. #HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #FIHProLeague @CMO_Odisha @sports_odisha @IndiaSports @Media_SAI pic.twitter.com/2sGsxLLqRv
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) October 31, 2022
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But sometimes, they do not work out. We have two more matches to go next week, so hopefully we will try to convert more chances,” Harmanpreet said. World No 5 India got five penalty corners against eighth ranked Spain but could only convert one — from the sticks of Harmanpreet himself in the 27th minute.
The other being a field goal by Abhishek in the 55th minute. For Spain, Eduard de Ignacio-Simo (17th), captain Marc Miralles (27th) and Marc Reyne (57th) scored to help their team pick up the win. India will face New Zealand on November 4 and Spain on November 6 in the reverse leg fixtures.
“We try to play with full pressure. So, we can create attacking chances. We were able to intercept a lot of passes and enter into the circle. But we can improve upon our finishing,” said the defensive bulwark of the Indian team.
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Harmanpreet further hailed the ‘home crowd’ at the Kalinga Stadium. “This is our second home and we always receive massive support from the crowd here. So, it brings us a lot of positive vibes that we can do better and push ourselves,” he concluded.
