Hockey | Indian eves hold Spain to a 1-1 draw in second match

01/28/2019

After a high octane match last time that saw the Indian women’s team losing 3-2 to Spain on Saturday, the team reorganized well to force a 1-1 draw against hosts in Murcia. While Gurjit Kaur scored in the 43rd minute, Spain’s Maria Tost took only six minutes to level things in the close encounter.

India were showing early signs of improvement and determination in the first quarter itself although they weren’t able to draw the first blood despite some close chances. However, all their hard work looked to bear fruition in the second half where India got a penalty corner, which India were denied by a fine save by the Spanish goalkeeper.

It was Spain’s turn to increase the tempo after halftime and they did exactly that when they managed to create a penalty corner opportunity very early in the third quarter. However, this time the Indian goalie made an impressive save to deny the hosts.

The pressure was telling for both the teams and when India got yet another penalty corner this time, drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur didn’t disappoint in the 43rd minute. It was well earned after the toil in the first two quarters but the joy couldn’t last for more than five minutes as Tost equalized in the 49th minute through a field goal from a defensive lapse. The final quarter remained without much action as the match ended in a draw.

Having lost the first match 3-2 after a spirited performance this draw would be encouraging for the team although they would be needing a win sometime soon to make this trip a successful one. India are scheduled to play two more matches against Spain before two matches against Ireland at home.

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