Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 09:47 PM
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) India were shown their place in international hockey when Australia beat them 5-2 in a preliminary men's hockey league match of the Commonwealth Games here Thursday in front of a partisan capacity-crowd at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
The crowd had begun to gather hours before the game and had plenty to cheer when Canada fought like their lives depended on the outcome to force a 1-1 draw with England in pool B.
The Indians flattered to deceive tonight and at the end of 70 minutes, looked a spent force while the Aussies appeared fit enough to last another full game.
'We need to get to their fitness levels,' said Indian captain Rajpal Singh, but the difference between the two sides was far too obvious even before he made his way in for a Media interaction.
India virtually lost the match in the opening minutes when two elementary errors in the defence saw Des Abbott and Trent Mitton putting Australia 2-0 ahead.
Although India came back strongly to pull one back through Dharmavir Singh's brilliant effort from a counter-attack, the Australians hit the hosts hard in the second session when Eddie Ockenden, Liam de Young and Glenn Turner delivered the killer blows in a 10-minute spell.
In the last minute, Sandeep Singh came good with the sixth penalty corner, but by then, the match was history.
'The first two goals were gifts,' said India team coach Jose Brasa who also admitted that his team was among the worst at penalty corner conversion as five of the six awarded were wasted.
India's inability to innovate was to Australia's advantage in the second-half. Aussie coach Richard Charlesworth said as much when he pointed out: 'You can't win matches playing the same way as the Indians did. In the first-half we gave them too much space.'
The home team neither tried to slow down the pace in a bid to throw the Aussies out of rhythm nor they did anything different at all in the second half. Ultimately, the lack of fitness became increasingly apparent.
It was the fitness and some outstanding goalkeeping by Antoni Kindler that kept Canada afloat against England in a highly physical encounter that could have gone either way.
Canada struck in the 13th minute through Iain Smythe and England caught up in the 50th when Simon Mantell found the boards.
For much of the game, England controlled the pace and exchanges, but came up against Kindler who was simply unbeatable today. 'You don't see such goalkeeping every day,' said England coach Jason Lee.
England have four points from two games while for Canada, it was their first point from two outings, having lost their opening match.
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