Namaste London

London, June 25

India wasted chances galore to finish a disappointing sixth in the Hockey World League Semifinals after being stunned 3-2 by Canada here today.

It was India’s second upset defeat against a lower-ranked side in the tournament after having lost to Malaysia in the quarterfinals.

Gordon Johnston (3rd and 44th minutes) scored two goals while Keegan Pereira (40th) found the net once for the 11th ranked Canadians. Harmanpreet Singh (7th, 22nd) converted two of India’s nine penalty corners. Canada not only finished fifth but also qualified for next year’s World Cup, to be held in Bhubaneswar. “We stuck to our game plan; we got a little bit of luck in a couple areas, and our goalkeeper was fantastic,” said Canada’s interim head coach Paul Bundy. “We’ve worked so hard, we’re a really small, tight-knit community and I think it’s going to mean a lot to Canada.” For India, the loss definitely counts for a morale-shattering outing.

India started the encounter as the overwhelming favourites, having defeated the same opponents 3-0 in the pool stage. However, with a World Cup berth at stake, Canada played with great determination and gave their higher-ranked rivals a run for their money. Even though India dominated the share of possession and had more shots at goal, Canada surprised their rivals when it mattered the most.

India continued their under-par performance from penalty corners as they converted just two out of nine they earned in the match. Canada took the lead early on when Johnston converted a penalty corner. But Harmanpreet drew parity four minutes later from a penalty corner. In the second quarter, the Indians secured their third penalty corner but Harmanpreet’s low flick was saved by the goalkeeper. — Agencies

Results

7th/8th place

Pakistan bt China 3-1

5th/6th place

Canada bt India 3-2

3rd/4th place

England bt Malaysia 4-1

Final

Netherlands bt Argentina 6-1