CHENNAI: The tension was hanging in the air like an unwelcome visitor in the night long after dinner time. In terms of the structure, the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium cannot be compared to the more imposing arenas across Bhubaneswar but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in heart and desire. At various points during India's ultra tight quarterfinal clash against Belgium at the junior World Cup, fans became coaches. "Defend," a few of them kept shouting. "One-man defending." The electricity ratcheted up a few more notches during the rolling shoot-out.
After the match had finished 2-2 in regulation time, the visitors — whose senior team have been a thorn for India at various FIH events over the last decade — were level after the first three penalties.
While all their players had found the back of the board, an Indian player was fouled by their goalkeeper in each of the first attempts. So it was left to Sharda Nand Tiwari. He found it all three times, marrying remarkable composure with pin-point precision, words you wouldn't normally associate with Indian hockey players in high pressure situations. In fact, the senior men's team lost to New Zealand on penalties during the senior World Cup in 2023. But this team's character and resilience shown through on a day when they needed oodles and oodles of it to put away very obdurate opponents.
With 17 seconds to go in the third quarter, India were seemingly on the verge of exiting their own party. Belgium had nullified their attacking threat and they had also scored a goal. 1-0 with 15 minutes change remaining to rescue a home World Cup.
Step forward captain Rohit, who had to have a plate inserted in his jaw after taking a ball to the face in the camp last year. During his rehab, the 21-year-old did wonder about the sometimes cruel nature of this sport where willingly rushing to stop a ball travelling over 100kph is part of the job description.
On Friday, though, he was the one who sent the ball low and fast into the Belgium goal to bring the hosts back into a contest where they were in danger of being shut out by an obdurate Belgian defence. That's when Rohit, in the absence of the injured Araijeet Hundal, the team's star dragflicker, stepped up and slammed home the deadball. It was the lift-off after a very worrying 40 minutes where the hosts had hit a red wall. With momentum on their side for the first time in the match, they poured forward as they sensed an opportunity. The found a hole in the Belgium defence and earned another penalty corner which Tiwari converted to bring the roof down.
A 0-1 deficit had become 2-1 in a matter of minutes but the visitors, who had removed their goalkeeper, scored a field goal in the dying embers to push the game into a shoot-out. There, the hosts let the sticks do the talking to signal the end of a madcap 30 minutes to the game. On Sunday, they will face the reigning champions for a place in the final.
Results: Spain 4-3 New Zealand, France 2(2)-2(3) Germany (via shoot-out), Netherlands 0-1 Argentina, India 2(4)-2(3) (via shoot-out). Semifinal fixtures (on Sunday): Spain vs Argentina, India vs Germany
