Home / Sports / Other Sports / Article /
Hockey World Cup 2023: Not on Cloud 9, but 9th
Updated On: 29 January, 2023 07:29 AM IST | Rourkela | Ashwin Ferro
Hosts India beat South Africa 5-2 in classification match to finish forgettable tournament on a winning note
Listen to this article :
South African and Indian players fight it out at Rourkela on Saturday. Pic/Hockey India
Team India beat South Africa 5-2 in front of a jam-packed Birsa Munda Stadium here on Saturday to clinch the ninth spot, but understandably Harmanpreet Singh & Co were not all smiles despite finishing both their classification matches with victories. Clearly, their target was the podium or a semi-final finish, least of all a Crossover exit. There were high-fives in the India camp after the win, but no big hugs or wild celebrations that are otherwise seen.
Senior player Manpreet Singh admitted that the [4-5] New Zealand defeat in the Crossovers, leading to their early ouster, still hurts. “We had a good tournament except for that game against New Zealand so obviously we still feel bad about it. But it’s great to have scored so many goals in the classification matches [India beat Japan 8-0 in the 9th to 16th place match before this],” Manpreet told mid-day.
Trending Stories
Latest Photos
Latest Videos
Latest Web Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
Mid-Day Fast
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT