India’s chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup ended on Sunday with a heartbreaking defeat against New Zealand in the crossover match in Bhubaneswar.
With the score tied at 3-3 at full time, the match went to a shootout and after a couple of stunning saves from veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, skipper Harmanpreet Singh had the chance to take India to victory but he missed. Soon after, Shamsher Singh missed his opportunity too and New Zealand closed out the win.
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Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Sukhjeet Singh and Varun Kumar had scored the goals for India in regular time and the hosts lead 3-1 at one stage, but New Zealand equalised in the fourth quarter of the match before sealing their spot in the quarterfinals eventually.
Here are some reactions to India’s heartbreaking defeat:
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