Timesof24
The 16 greatest males’s groups from around the globe are converging in Odisha, India as we countdown to the ultimate free days until the beginning of the FIH Odisha Hockey Males’s World Cup 2023. Every group comes with the goal of turning into world champions, however just one group can earn the best honour on the finish of the World Cup. The primary impediment for all 16 groups within the occasion come within the type of their pool opponents. Profitable the pool offers the groups an enormous benefit, because it results in straight qualification into the quarterfinals, whereas second and third positioned groups play a further cross-over spherical.
Right here is the preview for groups in Pool D:
England
Having participated in each version of the FIH Males’s World Cup, England are at all times able to reaching nice issues. They’ve reached the semi-finals of the final three World Cup competitions however missed the rostrum on every event. That’s one thing they are going to be determined to alter this time round, as they goal to safe a primary FIH Males’s World Cup medal since grabbing silver on the 1986 occasion on house soil in Willesden, London. They definitely have an excellent squad of gamers, however first must navigate their method out of a difficult pool that comprises house favourites India, in-form Spain, and neighbours Wales.
England – coached by Paul Revington, former head coach of South Africa and Malaysia males and assistant coach to Nice Britain girls – have been excellent on the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Video games, with striker Nick Bandurak ending because the competitors’s prime scorer with 11 objectives as his group snatched the bronze medal. Just one group managed to defeat the Englishmen in that competitors, with the mighty Australia – a facet which have solely ever gained gold within the Commonwealths – overturning a two-goal deficit within the semi-final to triumph 3-2. Captain Zach Wallace, midfield ace Phil Roper and attacker Sam Ward have been all key gamers in Birmingham and will likely be hoping to copy that kind in Odisha. In the event that they do, the sky is the restrict.
India
After years of sliding down the FIH World Rankings which culminated in failure to qualify for the Olympic Video games Beijing 2008 – a contest that that they had gained a file eight instances – India are again on the prime desk of the worldwide sport. A bronze medal on the delayed Olympic Video games Tokyo 2020 was a landmark second for the group, who adopted it up with a third-place end within the 2021-22 version of the FIH Hockey Professional League.
Head coach Graham Reid is getting the very best out of the group, injecting a tactical self-discipline to their trademark skilful, fluid taking part in model, making them a group each revered and feared in equal measure. The star of the present is Harmanpreet Singh, a superb defender and top-of-the-line drag glints within the sport, whereas goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, midfield ace Manpreet Singh and striker Mandeep Singh all able to game-changing moments.
Regardless of the plain stress that comes with being the competitors hosts, this India group has all of the attributes wanted to assert their first FIH Males’s World Cup title since 1975.
Spain
Recognized for his or her aptitude, talent, and attacking prowess, the Crimson Sticks males are one of the crucial proficient and unpredictable groups on the market, having confirmed on numerous events that, on their day, they will combine it with the easiest groups on this planet. In addition to having uncommon skills corresponding to electrifying attacker Enrique Gonzalez, skilled midfielder Marc Miralles and fashionable captain Alvaro Iglesias, they’re additionally blessed with a revered head coach in Max Caldas, who loved terrific success with the Netherlands men and women, guiding the previous to World Cup and Olympic glory and the latter to 2 European Championship titles.
In August 2022, the Crimson Sticks confirmed sturdy kind on the current EuroHockey Championship Qualifier competitors on house soil in Orense, beating Czech Republic, Portugal, and Poland to seal their ticket to the 2023 EuroHockey Championship. The group scored 20 instances with out conceding in that competitors, with Pau Cunill (Rising Star nominee – FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2021-22), Iglesias and former Argentina worldwide and 2016 Olympic gold medallist Joaquin Menini every scoring 3 times.
They adopted that success with an excellent begin to their 2022-23 FIH Hockey Professional League marketing campaign by going unbeaten of their first 4 video games, claiming notable victories over New Zealand and Pool C rivals India in matches that passed off within the World Cup host metropolis of Bhubaneswar.
Wales
After a long time of attempting, Wales lastly secured a primary ever FIH Males’s World Cup qualification because of a event profitable show on the European Qualification occasion on house soil in Cardiff. After claiming a 2-Zero win in opposition to Italy of their quarter-final, Wales went head-to-head with Eire, with the winner taking not solely a spot within the competitors remaining but in addition one of many two World Cup tickets on provide on the occasion.
Wales fell behind within the very first minute of the match when Michael Robson fired house, however Joe Naughalty’s equaliser early within the second quarter proved to be sufficient to ship the match to a winner-takes-all shoot-out. Profitable efforts from Rupert Shipperley and Jack Pritchard gave Wales a 2-1 lead forward of the ultimate spherical, with goalkeeper Toby Reynolds-Cotterill doing sufficient to disclaim Eire’s Lee Cole and create a second of Welsh sporting historical past.
The group completed the competitors on a wonderful excessive by recording a 2-1 victory over greater ranked France, preventing again from a objective down because of objectives from Luke Hawker and Shipperley, the latter arriving simply 5 minutes from the top.
Present Nice Britain internationals Shipperley and Jacob Draper are each key gamers for Wales, as is penalty nook specialist Gareth Furlong, who’s an everyday supply of objectives. Regardless of being one of many lowest ranked groups on this competitors, Wales have confirmed themselves greater than able to punching above their weight and are definitely not right here to make up the numbers.
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