Team India ended their FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup campaign in style as they crushed Japan 8-0 on Thursday. The men in blue produced a brilliant show at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Raurkela. India skipper Harmanpreet Singh and player of the match Abhishek scored two goals each.
Both teams failed to convert goals until the halftime. However, Mandeep Singh drew first blood for India in the 32nd minute. Team India then registered three more goals in the third quarter. they retained the moment to add four more goals in the fourth and final quarter of the game. Former skipper Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, and Sukhjeet Singh also contributed to the India’s score.
India have been waiting for the World Cup trophy for 47 years now and with the loss their wait continues. India last won the Hockey World Cup trophy in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After this, the Indian team never got a chance to lift any trophy in this global event. Team India won the World Cup last time by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan.
In the crossover match, New Zealand defeated India in the with 4-5 in the the penalty shootout after both teams were locked at the score of 3-3. India, ranked sixth in the world, produced a below-par performance, allowing New Zealand to claw back into the match after taking a 2-0 lead in the first half. India scored through Lalit Upadhyay (17th minute), Sukhjeet Singh (24th) and Varun Kumar (40th). New Zealand replied through Sam Lane (28th) and two penalty-corner conversions by Kane Russell (43rd) and Sean Findlay (49th).
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