CWG 2022 India vs England hockey match result: Misfiring India surrender lead, match ends in 4-4 draw
The India vs England hockey match at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG 2022) on August 1 had everything in it for both the teams. India made England look pedestrian when they raced to a 4-1 lead in the Pool B encounter. England returned the favor, drawing level at 4-4 in the end.
India dominated proceedings for 45 minutes and lost steam in the last 15 minutes of play to concede three goals and two points.
India took a 4-1 lead when Mandeep Singh (13', 22'), Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (3') and Harmanpreet Singh (46') scored. However, England were back on level terms with goals from Nicholas Bandurak (47', 53'), Liam Ansell (42’) and Phillip Roper (50').
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India got off to an aggressive start with Hardik Singh charging from the left flank soon after the starting whistle to put England on the backfoot.
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay soon scored the first goal of the match when he slammed a penalty corner rebound shot.
Hardik continued his good work and launched a brilliant counter-attack as he sent the ball to Mandeep Singh inside the striking circle. Mandeep struck a powerful tomahawk into the nets as India extended their lead to 2-0.
Vivek Sagar Prasad and Hardik continued to press deep from the left flank while Sam Ward created pressure on the Indian defense from the right flank.
Mandeep Singh made it 3-0 when he scored off an outstanding move inside the circle.
England could have reduced the arrears immediately but Christopher Griffiths' shot on target could only find the sidebar.
India vs England: Misfiring India concedes lead
The second half of the India vs England match saw England enjoying better possession and India misfiring.
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Although India continued to defend in numbers, not allowing the opposition any opportunity to get a shot on target, they looked a tad vulnerable.
Soon, Liam Ansell managed to get the ball past the Indian goalkeeper before the end of the third quarter as England started their goal scoring spree.
Gaining confidence from the late goal scored in the third quarter, England started pressing deep in the final 15 minutes to further reduce the deficit.
It was here that the script of the India vs England match took a turn.
A costly error in defense from England earned India another penalty corner and Harmanpreet Singh converted it with ease to extend India's lead to 4-1.
England's Nicholas Bandurak scored a minute later and made it 4-2. Phillip Roper then broke through the Indian defense and hit the ball past goalkeeper Krishan B Pathak to make it 4-3.
Nicholas Bandurak converted from a counter-attack as England drew level at 4-4, with minutes left on the clock.
India weren't helped with Varun Kumar being shown a yellow card twice, suffering a five-minute and a 10-minute suspension. Gurjant Singh also suffered a 10-minute suspension towards the end of the India vs England match.
India will next play against Canada on Wednesday, August 3.
Also read: Commonwealth Games 2022 India schedule: Full list of events, players, timings in IST and live streaming details