Indian hockey skipper Harmanpreet Singh urged his team to “finish well” as the team suffered its first defeat in the ongoing FIH Men’s Pro League to lower-ranked Spain in Bhubaneshwar.
Execution of penalty corners once again became the talking point as India lost 2-3 on Sunday, after a thrilling 4-3 win over New Zealand in the tournament-opener.
“We were creating a lot of chances. We received a lot of penalty corners. We were trying for different variations and combinations. But sometimes, they do not work out. We have two more matches to go next week, so hopefully we will try to convert more chances,” Harmanpreet said.
World No. 5 India got five penalty corners against 8th-ranked Spain but could only convert one — from the stick of Harmanpreet himself in the 27th minute.
The other being a field goal by Abhishek in the 55th minute.
For Spain, Eduard de Ignacio-Simo (17th), captain Marc Miralles (27th) and Marc Reyne (57th) scored to help their team pick up the win.
India will face New Zealand on November 4 and Spain on November 6 in the reverse leg fixtures.
“We try to play with full pressure. So, we can create attacking chances. We were able to intercept a lot of passes and enter into the circle. But we can improve upon our finishing,” said the defensive bulwark of the Indian team.
Harmanpreet further hailed the ‘home crowd’ at the Kalinga Stadium.
“This is our second home and we always receive massive support from the crowd here. So, it brings us a lot of positive vibes that we can do better and push ourselves,” he concluded.
