Pakistan, sitting pretty with a two-goal lead (4-2) till the last seven-eight minutes and sure of collecting full points, allowed Australia to recover and snatch a point in a 4-4 draw. That was in the opening match of the tournament. India took the field a while later in the second match, and looked like emerging easy winners till the fag end against the Netherlands before going down.
It has happened many times in the past. Today, it happened again. The inability to stay calm and hold possession in pressure situations cost India the match. Without doubt, this Indian team will have a sleepless night. The players will be wondering how they lost the match in the last 10 minutes after leading by a convincing three-goal margin.
One doesn't have to did deep to find out what went wrong and how India suddenly crashed like a deck of cards. It is just plain and simple: the Dutch lifted their game to the highest level and there was no way any team could stop them from finishing the way they did.
I hate to speak about umpiring, because it will not alter the final scoreline. But umpire Brooks could have handled the situation better. He was in the thick of the action when Holland scored the controversial equaliser. That goal changed the complexion of the game. Have we not discussed in the past that it is high time umpires have a 'third eye' to sort out decisions that are humanly impossible to adjudicate with a naked eye? In major tournaments, like the World Cup, the Olympics and Champions Trophy, the 'third eye' should be at least restricted to the "D". Had there been a 'third eye', the goal may have not been awarded, as it did not hit the board and Saini cleared the ball cleanly while just on the line.
India scored their first goal through Jugraj Singh, who very delicately avoided the first runner by pulling the ball towards him and finding the net with a powerful drag flick. The second goal was a beauty, with Dhanraj Pillay doing all the spadework and setting Deepak Thakur up with one of his delicate flicks. The speedy Thakur did well to finish despite losing his balance.
India's third goal was yet another beauty. This time it was Gagan Ajit Singh, who set up Thakur after getting past a defender. The way Gagan ran down the right flank and squared for Thakur was really heart-warming.
Never before have the Dutch had as many as six penalty-corners and not been able to convert even one of them. But when it mattered most they did score from their last one, the seventh, their dependable specialist Taeke Taekema beating goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan, who was outstanding till then. It is sad that it was just one of those days when everything went haywire towards the end and there was nothing he could do to save the team.
Now it is going to be tough for the players to put away this defeat and concentrate on the upcoming matches. Besides making the boys realise that they have been in similar situations before and things can't get worse, coach Rajinder Singh will need to take measures to solidify the defence, which was found wanting many times. A solid victory against Germany tomorrow will surely lift the sagging morale.