AS the match wore on in front of a near capacity crowd at the Wagener Stadium on an increasingly sunny day in Amstelveen, the only thing in question wasn't whether India would beat Pakistan. The result was kind of a foregone conclusion as soon as Harmanpreet Singh scored the opening goal in the first quarter.
The only thing that remained in doubt was the eventual margin of victory. The last time these two sides met on a hockey field, India had hit seven. When the final hooter was heard via the tannoy, the World No. 8 had sounded the board five times. Crucially, they had also qualified for the next phase of the competition.
It's why there was some kind of jeopardy attached with this famous clash. After India had suffered a 2-4 defeat at the hands of England on Monday, the Asian champions needed a win in this match to assure themselves of a route to the next phase. The Green Shirts, who hadn't beaten India in 19 previous attempts, in a run stretching a decade, attacked with gay abandon but a number of unforced errors cost them in big moments. They cut the arrears on three separate occasions — from 3-0 to 3-1, 4-1 had become 4-2 and they had a sniff at 5-3 after India had restored the three-goal advantage — but the sheer gulf in class between the two nations made all the difference in the end.
Even if India will rue multiple defensive lapses, the debrief will wait for the time being. On Wednesday, they will be happy to have achieved the minimum goal expected of them at the World Cup.
Teams exchange high fives before pushback
After the two sides lined up side by side next to the centre circle on the blue turf around 3.00 PM local time, there was heightened anticipation and tension in the air. Would they? In the end, the hockey players of the two countries traded high fives (as is customary in the sport).
Even if India's cricket teams haven't engaged with their Pakistan counterparts in almost a year (the handshake row briefly threatened to eat the sport), the hockey teams haven't received any communication. And, to be fair to them, at the Pro League earlier this year, they were happy to exchange high fives with their opponents.
Once that formality was done away with, Harmanpreet & Co went on the attack right from the off. Sensing a vulnerability, they set the tempo by playing a number of aerial balls in the opening exchanges. They also employed a high press. It resulted in a number of turnovers close to the Pakistan third as they were overwhelmed with the number of saffron shirts all over them like a rash.
It soon resulted in the opening goal, a screamer from the stick of Harmanpreet Singh, whose daisy-cutter of a drag-flick hit the board in the blink of an eye. It was the kind of start they were after. One-nil after five minutes became three unanswered goals 18 minutes later thanks to their incisiveness in the final third. They were cutting through the Pakistan backline like they didn't exist and their intensity meant their opponents had a hard time living with them.
It was like watching a game set to 1.30 x on the live stream.
But once Pakistan, the World No. 12, did get to grips with the pace and speed and India's pressing patterns. Once they were accustomed to all of that, they got on the board via the penalty corner, one of their biggest weapons.
But India just kept coming forward, wave after attacking wave. It will bother coach Craig Fulton that they were loose at the back but on a risk vs reward basis, it was a tactic that gave them maximum rewards. And the crown jewel of such a tactic was their fourth goal of the afternoon, a mix of touch, 3d skills and class from Abhishek. After the forward received the ball inside the striking circle, he dribbled with the ball, evaded a few Pakistan bodies, showed close control before finding the net via a deflection. 4-1 after 24 minutes.
Pakistan, though, weren't going to go away without putting up a fight. Thanks to their individualism and ability to dribble at pace, they generated a chance straight away and found another goal through a penalty corner. Four goals had come in under 240 seconds as a madcap match swung more times than an out of control pendulum. Hence, it was no surprise that the coach appealed for some control in the half-time talk to the team.
Hardik Singh stepped up and made it five from the spot before Pakistan scored a breakaway goal to start the fourth quarter. From there, though, India shut down the game.
