India squader half-time lead as England roar back to seal emphatic win in Hockey World Cup showdown
India’s 32-year wait for a Hockey World Cup victory over England continued on Monday as Craig Fulton’s side surrendered a 2-1 half-time advantage to lose 4-2 in their second Pool D match at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen. India had recovered impressively after Nick Bandurak gave England the lead late in the opening quarter. Harmanpreet Singh equalised from a penalty corner before Dilpreet Singh completed the turnaround with a well-worked field goal. But England seized control after the interval, with Stuart Rushmere and Henry Croft scoring in the third quarter before Bandurak’s second goal put the contest beyond India late on.
The result leaves England top of Pool D with six points from two matches, while India remain second on three. Earlier, Pakistan and Wales played out a 3-3 draw to move to one point each, leaving India’s final pool match against Pakistan on August 19 with major qualification implications.
India fight back after Bandurak opener
India enjoyed plenty of possession during the opening exchanges but England struck first in the 14th minute. Sam Hooper’s aerial ball was controlled superbly by Rushmere, who released Bandurak before the forward fired past Mohith Shashikumar to make it 1-0. India’s response after the first-quarter break was immediate. Their first penalty corner arrived in the 17th minute and Harmanpreet produced a powerful drag-flick into the top corner to level the scores.
The turnaround was complete eight minutes later through a flowing move down the left. Hardik Singh and Abhishek combined before the latter sent the ball across goal, allowing Dilpreet to arrive at the far post and finish from close range. India consequently entered half-time 2-1 ahead, having also registered 11 circle entries to England’s seven.
England punish India after the break
The momentum changed dramatically in the third quarter as India dropped deeper and England began exerting sustained pressure around their circle. Rushmere made it 2-2 in the 39th minute, producing a clever deflection to redirect the ball beyond the Indian defence. Just four minutes later, he was involved again as England completed their own comeback. The move ended with Croft receiving the ball near goal and smashing a powerful finish into the far corner for his first World Cup goal.
India entered the final quarter trailing 3-2 and came close through Abhishek, whose fierce shot went narrowly wide. Harmanpreet also had a penalty-corner effort defended as Fulton’s men searched for an equaliser. Their task became harder when Nilakanta Sharma was carded late in the match. England continued forcing penalty corners and eventually found their fourth in the 55th minute, Bandurak blasting a drag-flick down the middle to complete his brace and seal the victory.
India actually finished with marginally more possession at 51 per cent and recorded 11 shots to England’s 10, but England were considerably more clinical when the match opened up after half-time. The defeat means India’s last World Cup victory over England remains their 1994 success. More immediately, Fulton’s side must regroup quickly for Pakistan, with victory in their final Pool D fixture guaranteeing progression to the next stage.
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