On a pleasant Wednesday evening, all one could hear was the echo of the ball hitting the back of the net at the hockey stadium in Ranchi. Only a few of the USA’s players had come for practice ahead of their Olympic Qualifier semi-final against Japan. The volunteers were moving around, providing finishing touches to the arrangements.
In a matter of a few hours, you expect the stadium to turn into a hub of cut-and-thrust activity, especially in the backdrop of India clashing against Germany in the other semi-final. The big incentive for the four teams is booking a place in the Paris Olympics. The two finalists will progress to the mega event. The two losing semifinalists will play in the third-fourth place game to decide who secures the final spot from the Ranchi leg of the Qualifiers.
India face the massive task of finding a way past Germany. They are ranked No. 5, with India just one place below them. However, Germany have come across as the best team of the tournament so far. So, what can India do to stop the unbeaten side? The simple answer would be stick to your strengths. The hosts would trust Salima Tete, the playmaker, and Sangita Kumari, the forward, to play with a sense of purpose and put the German defence under pressure.
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In the wins against New Zealand and Italy, India set the tone by playing with an aggressive mindset. A goal or two in the early minutes would give India tremendous momentum. They have also improved in other areas after losing their opening fixture to the USA. One of them is defence. Udita Duhan and Monika Malik have combined nicely to keep the opponents at bay. Udita has also taken over the mantle of being the drag-flicker, cracking three goals so far.
A few nuts and bolts, though, seem to be missing in the midfield. Sonika, Baljeet Kaur, Jyothi and others need to step up for the crucial encounter. Germany have played with intent right through the tournament. They have already created 44 penalty corner opportunities. Sonja Zimmermann and Nike Lorenz, the co-captains, are both good at taking those.
With those two helming the affairs, watch out for some interesting variations. Until now, India have come up against some basic variations. One of the ways to defeat Germany is to perhaps frustrate them for long periods. One could observe that in the match against Japan, Germany were increasingly getting frustrated by the Asian nation’s discipline in defence and midfield. Crowd support could also play a part. To illustrate the point further, New Zealand, in particular, seemed rattled by the deafening noise in the first 10-15 minutes of their pool game against India.
When: 7.30 PM, January 18
Where: Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium
Team speak
We’ve already played Germany a few times and have done well. We’re confident in our abilities as a team and have the game to put up a solid performance. Our attacking game is quite good. Germany is a good team, so we will have to be on top of our defence and try to convert any chances we get.
Savita Punia, India captain
Germany has a lot of good players but we have a quality side that has shown they can do well under pressure. We are one game away from a spot in the Olympics. We will treat the semifinals like a final and give it our all.
Janneke Schopman, India coach
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