WORLD CUP NEWS : India’s 4-3 victory against New Zealand in the first game of the 2022–23 FIH Hockey Pro League season was sparked by a pair of goals by Mandeep Singh. The Men in Blue overcame an early deficit to triumph 4-3.
After Mandeep Mor scored a field goal for India in the last seconds of the first quarter, New Zealand tied the score in the 23rd minute with a penalty kick.
The away team maintained their first-half dominance, with their forwards displaying tremendous talent and making consecutive circle penetrations. The Black Sticks’ influence was felt in the third period as they scored twice to increase their lead to 3-1. India headed into the fourth quarter behind by a goal, but skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored a goal to bring the score even.
Then, in the last period, Mandeep Singh scored twice to seal India’s victory and give them a 1-0 lead in the season’s first FIH Hockey Pro League match.
INDIA BEATS NEWS ZEALAND ( FIH Hockey Pro League )
The lads did a terrific job considering how long it had been since we had played together, and it was satisfying to win despite having behind for so much of the game. We have some improvements to do before our next game against Spain, since we committed several blunders. The Spanish team is really strong, but our goal is to keep winning in the FIH Hockey Pro League this year, said Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh after their victory.
Black Sticks captain Nic Woods was crushed by the loss, as his side had outplayed India on most times but lost control of the match in the last quarter. “India is a pretty talented team and we gave them a really good fight but I felt we couldn’t retain the ball possession,” Woods said. The game against Spain tomorrow will be very challenging, but we want to make up for what we lacked today.
