Japan had to face defeat in all their three matches in the group stage, but despite this, their challenge is not going to be easy for India.
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As expected, as thought, it could not happen. Now one can only hope that the ending is better. these are the expectations indian hockey team K’s fans. In the FIH Hockey World Cup 2023 being held in Odisha, the Indian men’s hockey team failed to reach the quarter-finals, they were disappointed in their own home. Now he has only one chance to save some respect in his last matches and avoid falling further down. On Thursday, January 26, India will face Japan, which will decide which place the Indian team will be able to reach in the tournament.
The defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the cross over did not allow the Indian team to reach the quarter-finals, let alone the title. That is, in the tournament with 16 teams, the Indian team could not even reach the top 8. Now the challenge before him is that he should be at least at the top of the remaining 8 teams. In this effort, Team India will take on Japan on Thursday, 26th January i.e. Republic Day, which will decide the ranking of places from 9th to 16th.
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Asian champion Japan will compete
Team India had a good start in the tournament and even against New Zealand in the cross-over, their start was tremendous but the failure to capitalize on the opportunities cost them dearly. This weakness can be heavy in front of Japan as well. Asian champions Japan may have lost all their three matches in the group stage itself but they can pose a challenge for the Indian team. Especially keeping this in mind that the edge in Team India’s attack is not visible at all. Even in this, the failure of the penalty corner is the most prickly.
If you lose here then worse
The victory in this match to be held at Rourkela’s Birsa Munda Stadium will also give the Indian team a chance to play the next match, due to which the team will try to reach the 9th position. If the team loses to Japan itself, then it will have to fight for the last 2-3 places, which will be its worst performance in World Cup history.
