India closed out their group play at Kalinga Stadium this Thursday with a 4-2 win over Wales, finishing second in Pool D of the 2023 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup. The victory was fueled by goals from captain Harmanpreet Singh, Akashdeep Singh, and Shamsher Singh. For the debutant Welsh side, Gareth Furlong and Jacob Draper managed to score in the 43rd and 45th minutes.
For a while, it looked like a comfortable win for India, but Wales fought back impressively in the third quarter to tie the game. India eventually reclaimed the lead in the final quarter, scoring two unanswered goals to keep Wales off the scoreboard for the tournament. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough for a direct ticket to the quarter-finals; England's 4-0 thrashing of Spain put them at the top of Pool D. Although India and England were tied at seven points each, England's superior goal difference (+9 vs India's +4) secured their direct qualification.
The tournament structure dictates that pool winners advance directly to the quarter-finals, while those finishing second and third must compete in crossover matches for the remaining four spots. Consequently, India is set to face New Zealand, the third-place finishers from Pool C, to determine who moves on to the quarter-finals.
India took a well-earned lead in the 22nd minute thanks to a powerful strike from Shamsher. Despite a persistent attacking effort from the Indian side to extend their lead, they couldn't find the back of the net again before the halftime whistle, leaving Shamsher's goal as the only difference between the two teams.
The second half began strongly for India, with Akashdeep scoring to make it 2-0 after a brilliant run by Mandeep Singh, who drew in several defenders before setting up the powerful shot. Wales, however, refused to quit and shocked India by scoring twice in just two minutes via penalty corners. India quickly responded in the 45th minute with a great field goal from Akashdeep, and captain Harmanpreet finally put the game to bed in the 59th minute by converting a penalty corner.