Confident Indian women’s hockey team registered a 1-0 win against Great Britain in Auckland on Tuesday in their fourth match. Having won their first match in the New Zealand tour 4-0 against the hosts Development Squad, Indian women’s team had lost the following two matches 2-1 and 1-0 respectively to the New Zealand national team.
However, on Tuesday, the Indian women’s team led by Rani played with full gusto and a structured defence with tight passing ensured little room for Great Britain to counter attack or create chances to score.
“We created enough chances and now we need to keep working on converting those chances but our defence stood strong through the match which was a good thing,” expressed chief coach Sjoerd Marijne after the match.
Ending the first half in a 0-0 stalemate, India made another PC attempt in the third quarter but could not make the opportunity count. The team however kept up a good line of defence and continued to carry on aggressive attack. It was not until the 47th minute when Skipper Rani created space in the circle, netting a powerful shot past Great Britain’s goalkeeper.
The 1-0 lead put serious pressure on Great Britain who eventually could not recover, thus conceding the loss.
“Towards the end of the match, we were under pressure but the team handled it well and even ensured a goal. The win is good for a morale boost,” Marijne stated.