The player of the match went to Jip Janssen of the Netherlands who said: “It’s rewarding, I think a good win. The corner is a team game so I think we’re pretty happy with the result of that today, so thanks to my injectors and stoppers for making it easy for me.”
(Men’s) India 4 – 1 Spain
India thrilled their home crowd with an excellent 4-1 win over Spain. The teams were equally matched in the opening quarter, India having a slight edge courtesy of a Harmanpreet Singh drag flick in the seventh minute and some excellent work in goal by Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh. The Indians turned up the heat in the second quarter, testing the excellent Luis Calzado in goal repeatedly and winning five penalty corners in just four minutes. Harmanpreet Singh slotted in a penalty stroke in the 20th minute after his drag flick struck the postman on the line, and Jugraj Singh added a drag flick in the 24th minute for a 3-0 Indian lead at half-time.
Spain came back in the third quarter, a strong circle carry from Enrique Gonzales earning a penalty stroke for skipper Marc Miralles to bury in the 34th minute. They went on to dominate the quarter but were denied by an exceptional Indian defence. Spain needed something early in the final quarter and they went after it, but India hit them on the break in the 50th minute, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay lashing in a one-touch reverse shot off a pass that deflected to him in clear space.
The player of the match was India’s Harmanpreet Singh who said: “I think we started very well. This is our first match in this year and I think the way we started, we try to keep the same things that we are doing right now, and try to push our limits more.”
Top Scorer Armband
To celebrate the talented goal-scorers throughout the season the FIH has introduced the Top Scorer Armband, which is being worn by the leading goal-scorers in the men’s and women’s competitions in the current season, as a visual mark for the fans, and for the players to wear proudly, match after match.
Current Top Scorers:
Women – Yibbi Jansen (NED) (11 goals)
Men – Jip Janssen (NED) (3 goals)
To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Pro League, click here.
FIH Hockey Pro League – 10 February 2024
Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar, India (IND)
Result: Match 7 (M)
Ireland 1 – 5 Netherlands
Player of the match: Jip Janssen (NED)
Umpires: Raghu Prasad (IND), James Unkles (AUS), Zeke Newman (AUS-video)
Result: Match 8 (M)
India 4 – 1 Spain
Player of the match: Harmanpreet Singh (IND)
Umpires: Rawi Anbananthan (MAS), Zeke Newman (AUS), James Unkles (AUS-video)
by Asia Hockey
