India’s dreams of qualification for the semi-finals of the Hockey World Cup ended with a 3-5 loss to Argentina in their last match of the group stage in Amstelveen.
The consequence was a pivotal moment for both sides as Argentina consolidated their lead in the semi-final chase, finishing a cycle to boost their chances of completing a full-season in second place of the group, if not sooner. India, on the other hand, came last in Pool E with a loss in each of their matches.
The Harmanpreet Singh side had already been grappling with England and the Netherlands with big hurdles and losing match to Argentina brought an end to their quest to the final four.
Argentina delivered an overwhelming performance and asserted themselves in the match, frequently harassing Indian defence. The Argentina forwards threatened all day but failed to overwhelm the Indian defense since they failed to break down the defense to score even after scoring three goals.
The loss will see India would switch gears to the classification phase, facing a tough prospect of fighting it out with some final seven for seventh spot in the tournament.
With the victory, the Indian team’s expectations of competing for the title of the Hockey World Cup are dampened. It will be a fast change of pace with this side hoping to get the momentum in their favor of a successful tournament in their last game of the week.
On the other hand, Argentina will hang on to the results of the rest of the LEG Two games in Pool E in search of semi-final qualification.