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‘Vijayi Shuruat, abhi maza aayega na bhidu’- Fans celebrate as India beat Spain 2-0 in FIH Hockey World Cup 2023 opener

India beat Spain 2-0 to open their campaign in the tournament. Amit Rohidas and Hardik Singh scored goals for India.

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Rohit Kumar
Jan 14, 2023 12:52 IST
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Indian Hockey Team (Source - Twitter)

Indian Hockey Team (Source - Twitter)

The Indian hockey team made a winning start in the FIH Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 at the Birsa Munda Stadium. India beat Spain 2-0 to open their campaign in the tournament. Amit Rohidas and Hardik Singh scored the goals for India. Spain tried to put pressure on India in the initial stages of the first half. India got a penalty corner in the 12th minute, but team India could not capitalize on the opportunity.

Soon after, India got their second penalty corner in the 13th minute. Amit took advantage of this opportunity and scored the first goal for India. Repeating a drag-flick, Amit took the ball inside the goalpost with all his power. India took a 1-0 lead after the first quarter.

As soon as the game started in the second quarter, India showed aggressive play. Indian players were keeping the maximum ball with them. The second goal for India came in the 27th minute. When India's midfielder Hardik quickly pushed the ball towards the Spanish camp. The ball hit the Spanish defender's leg and went into the goalpost. After this goal, India took a 2-0 lead till the first half.

Brilliant gameplay by the Indian Team in the 2nd half as well

In the second half, India and Spain had many chances, but neither could capitalize on the opportunity. Excellent game from India's goalkeeper and defenders. Goalkeeper Pathak saved two goals. It was the 26th minute of the match when the 24-year-old young mid-fielder Hardik Singh came up with a stunning field goal and increased India’s lead from 1-0 to 2-0.

Although, the hosts also faced a blow in the second quarter when the referee showed a green card to senior midfielder Akashdeep Singh. However, India maintained their lead of 2-0 unassailable till the time of the last whistle in the match and started their campaign with a thumping win in the tournament.

The format in this World Cup is such that the first-placed side in Pool D goes straight to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the second, and third-placed teams compete in a crossover round against the third and second-placed teams from Pool C.

Here's how the fans reacted:

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