Indian men hold England to 1-1 draw in 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation - International Tournament

BARCELONA: The Indian men's hockey team came up with a spirited performance to hold England 1-1 in their third match at the ongoing 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation - International Tournament in Barcelona on Friday.

While Sam Ward scored an early goal for England in the fifth minute, India bounced back to level the scores in the 29th minute through Harmanpreet Singh.

The draw meant India are out of contention for the final on Sunday.

After losing to the hosts and drawing with the Netherlands in their previous matches, India were looking for an elusive win and a spot in the final.

Despite their positive body language on the field, it was the Brits who got off to a good start, with Ward scoring a stunning field goal.

A tumbling James Oates crossed the ball from the right flank towards the goalpost, which Ward deflected into the post, giving England the lead.

It took India a lot of effort to break through the English defence, and it wasn't until the 29th minute that India were able to level the score. It was Harmanpreet yet again leading the charge, as he broke no sweat in converting a brilliant penalty corner.

A goal just before the 10-minute half-time break meant that the two teams would return with strategies that would promise exciting 30 minutes of play. With a spot in the final at stake, both teams lived up to the billing with their brilliant attacking tactics that kept the spectators glued.

Having shaken off the early nervousness, young India goalie Pawan who replaced Sreejesh in the third quarter came up with a fine save in the 35th minute when England earned a penalty corner.

India too found a couple of chances in the following minutes. But they could not manage to put it past England's custodian James Mazarelo. With the score reading 1-1, the final quarter remained tense for India.

That ended India's hope of progressing to the final in Terassa, Barcelona.

The team will next play the placing match against the losing team of the next league match -- Spain versus Netherlands -- before heading back home. IANS

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