For close to 57 minutes, the Indian women's hockey team displayed a style of hockey that was unseen and simply phenomenal. The goalkeepers from both sides showed their best performance. They both were in the top class and made the match remarkable.
This India-Spain encounter was thrilling because we witnessed some magnificent exhibitions of goalkeeping, one from Savita Punya and the other from the Spanish goalkeeper Garcia.
In the end, after 57 minutes of additional play, India and Spain seemed as if they were going to go into sudden death penalties. But, 57 minutes in the final quarter, Spain finally broke the solid goalkeeping defense of Savita. With this, the hopes of India entering the quarterfinal shattered.
India managed to hold on, but at the end of the day, Spain emerged in the FIH hockey women's world cup.
It was the crossover game, and that's why Spain reached the quarterfinal of the FIH woman's world cup. For India, the dream is over now. It is vital to understand how India came into the situation.
In the League Stages
India had drawers against England and China. However, in the game against New Zealand, they were almost one minute away from elimination.
But because they scored in the last minute, they ended up losing 3-4. However, due to superior goal differences, they managed to seal the third spot there.
So, the crossover format in the FIH hockey world cup of women was that the second and third place groups, the top four teams in the four groups, would seal the quarterfinal spot automatically.
India moved forward into the crossover game with Spain. Heading to this match, India had plenty of confidence because they had a superior-to-head record against Spain, which was 7-5, a benefit for the Indian team.
India and Spain played some magnificent hockey.
Unmatched Performance by Savita and Vandana
It was once again the tale of missed chances.
In the league stages, Vandana Kataria showed her absolute brilliance. She was outdone here by the Spanish team.
The Spanish defense and, in particular, Garcia, the goalkeeper, denied India multiple goal-scoring chances. But if Garcia was the leading player in the Spanish camp, Savita was leading the same battle from the Indian side.
Savita saved six plenties, making this game head deeper than expected. Under peer pressure of not scoring a goal, India finally conceded a goal which ended their long run in the world cup.
Savita is the standout player with Vandana Kataria, and they have ensured that India has a little confidence heading into the commonwealth games.
Was There a Chance For India to Recover From 0-1?
All three match quarters ended in a stalemate, but the final quarter ended otherwise. India conceded a goal.
There was still a ray of hope. In the last 70 seconds, Spain was down to 9 players, and India was playing with ten players. Numerically, India had an advantage against Spain.
But unfortunately, time was limited. It is why India is now out of the tournament.
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