The FIH Hockey World Cup 2023 match between India and Wales which was played on Thursday was won by the men in blue 4-2. Team India started their campaign on a high note by defeating Spain in the opening match and their second game against the Three lions ended in a draw. With India able to convert just 4 goals, they will now play the crossover games.
India initially had the upper had with a possession percentage better than Wales and took the charge from the beginning. India have earned 3 points to equal England in final score on Pool D standings. But they are behind England in terms of goal difference and will have to play the crossover matches. On the other hand, England have directly qualified for the quarterfinals with a goal difference of 9.
Qualification scenario:
Each of the 16 teams divided into four groups i.e A, B, C and D were scheduled to play three matches each against teams of their pools. According to rules, the team that tops the table will advance directly to the quarterfinals. On the other hand, the teams on the second and third spots will play the crossover matches starting on January 22.
Earlier, England defeated Spain 4-0 and have a goal difference of 9 which makes them the table-topper. To reach the quarterfinals directly, Team India needed to defeat Wales in such a way that their goal difference was 8 in the game. Even if they had won with a goal difference of 7, then 6 goals out of those should have been field goals. However, India's final goal difference is 3 and they will play the crossover matches, while Wales will be eliminated from the group stage.
India will next face New Zealand on the 22nd of January.
India has been waiting for the World Cup trophy for 47 years. They last won the Hockey World Cup trophy in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After this, the men in blue 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.
India Line-up:
Sreejesh, Mandeep, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet, Surender, Varun Kumar, Shamsher, Manpreet, Akashdeep, Vivek Sagar Prasad and Sukhjeet Singh.
Substitutes: Jarmanpreet, Abhishek, Hardik, Pathak, Lalit, Nilam, Nilakanta.
Head-to-head details
Matches played: 4
Matches won by India: 4
Matches won by Wales: 0
Matches ended in draw: 0
