Commonwealth Games 2018 Hockey: Dominant to start with but equal in the end
By Indraneel Das | Express News Service | Published: 08th April 2018 02:33 AM |
Last Updated: 08th April 2018 08:02 AM | A+A A- |
All the excitement came down to the last seven seconds as the Indian hockey team's perennial problem of conceding late goals left them with a disappointing 2-2 draw against a sloppy Pakistan in its Commonwealth Games opener here today. | PTI
GOLD COAST : “Aage, aage...”Those were the words Sjoerd Marijne kept yelling in the first two quarters, as his wards kept attacking Pakistan territory. They looked formidable, their shape seemed good and signs were ominous for Pakistan amidst the drum beats and chants of Indian fans.
“Peeche, peeche...”Those two words dominated the third and fourth periods. That’s how India played. It took a yellow card and a goal to turn Pakistan’s fortunes. Right after the hooter, Pakistan struck through a penalty corner to make it 2-2.
After around one year in India, Marijne’s Hindi vocabulary is restricted to the game. He knows what propels the young team, still in transition, at moments of crisis. He shouted — even a few expletives escaped during moments of extreme frustration — and fidgeted with his laptop in the dugout. But in the end, all that was not enough to secure a win. There were too many mispasses. The team lost balls in precarious positions and as Pakistan started attacking in waves, they were in disarray.
The start was crisp. India struck through Dilpreet Singh with less than three minutes left in the first quarter. In the second period, Harmanpreet Singh scored through a penalty corner. Things were looking good, with India taking control. Marijne’s shouting from the dugout ceased for the moment.
Things changed after the break. Perhaps former India and current Pakistan coach Roelant Oltmans found that chink in India’s armour. Pakistan started playing from the wing and making inroads into rival territory. First Muhammad Irfan Jr sounded the board in the third quarter. As the clock ticked towards the hooter — with just seven seconds remaining — Pakistan got another penalty corner. The shot was thwarted as the hooter blew but Pakistan got a lifeline when they were awarded another penalty corner after a referral. This time, Ali Mubashar scored. India supporters went silent.
Marijne was livid. As Pakistan went about acknowledging the crowd, India players gathered near the dugout. Marijne was talking to the boys animatedly. “We made them play better,” said the Dutch coach. “The structure wasn’t good enough, the level was low. It could be because we were playing Pakistan or because it was our first match. But something went wrong inside.“Of course, we are not happy but the players are even more disappointed. We need to figure out why this happened. I am absolutely not satisfied with the performance,” said Marijne. “No excuses, we did not play well. We must be consistent like Australia. If we play good one day and another day we don’t, we can’t be on top.”
Even captain Manpreet Singh sounded dejected. “We did not play well and made errors. Our passing wasn’t good and in the end, they came back.”
On the other hand, Oltmans seemed satisfied. “Can’t say I am absolutely happy, but then the last gasp draw will increase confidence,” he said. “It’s a new team and a few players haven’t been in any camp before arriving here.”Perhaps with his expertise, Oltmans knew where to hurt India. “I will keep the technical part to myself. But they executed it quite well. I told them you are 1-2 down and you can win 3-2.”
Marijne, however, felt this would give India an opportunity to introspect and avoid repeating such hara-kiri later. India play Wales on Sunday.
