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Final touches to unhappy picture
Four years ago it was the goal against Poland, this time again it was the goal against Australia and New Zealand. This last minute returns every time to play the spoilsport.
Every Indian hockey fan would be praying now that he should be spared the agony of watching these last-minute horror shows the team enacts to perfection, match after match.
Four years ago it was the goal against Poland, on Thursday here it was the goal against Australia, on Saturday it was the disaster against New Zealand. This last minute somehow returns every time to play the spoilsport. India desperately needed a win against the Kiwis to stay in contention for a semi-final berth. They just did not know how to go about it. They ended up losing 1-2 and also losing all hopes of a medal. The loss came with an added baggage of controversy though.
The Kiwis' winning goal became the point of protest and India would be justified in feeling they were cheated. They even lodged an official protest with the submission of the customary 500 Euros. But it could be money and effort gone waste as these complains do not mean much, though the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has reopened their appeal against umpire O'Connor's decision to continue play and award penalty corner to New Zealand which resulted in the winning goal. Now an FIH jury will sit on judgement that will be announced on Sunday. But even if the decision is reversed, a draw too won't be of any help in India making the semi-finals.
So what was the controversy? New Zealand earned a penalty corner in the last minute of the game. The hit found Baljit Dhillon's foot and second penalty corner was awarded in sequence. The 35-minute regulation time was over but according to the rules the corner was taken. The try apparently deflected off an Indian defender. Umpire O' Connor signaled the game as over. Xavier Adell, the second umpire had raised his right foot, pointing to a foul by Indian skipper Dilip Tirkey. O'Connor changed the ruling and called for another penalty corner. The Indians protested but to no avail.
The hit was taken and another penalty corner followed, with goalkeeper Adrian D'Souza being penalised for infringement. Shawn Hayden slammed the fourth corner home. The Indians ran towards the umpires protesting vociferously even as the sizeable Indian supporters in the stands started raising slogans. It went on for a while and police was called in to send the angry fans away.
All in all, a story of an ugly, bitter defeat. But more than the umpiring it is the display by the Indians here that has pulled them down. They have played well in patches -- as they did against Australia -- and struggled to find co-ordination upfront.
On Saturday, they played some poor hockey and could have won despite that but for some missed chances. Deepak Thakur missed a couple, while Gagan Ajit Singh and Dhanraj Pillay missed a clear chance each. Gagan was once again off-colour while Pillay, who did sparkle with his runs, tried to do too much. He was even heard complaining to the coach that Gagan was not passing the ball to him. And that did raise a few questions. Is the politicking in the team affecting their performance or was it mere showmanship by Pillay? Do some senior players have a problem with coach Gerhard Rach and his tactics?
It’ll be difficult for the them to pull themselves up from here. Team morale is low and the injury list is getting bigger. Defender William Xalxo is out, Baljit Dhillon has a shoulder injury and Deepak Thakur was hit on the chest and was taken to hospital. Coach Gergard Rach said he would "struggle to field a fit XI in the last match against Argentina".
