India needed to beat Wales by a margin of at least 8 goals to overtake England and reach the quarter-finals directly, but it could not happen.
Image Credit source: Twitter/Hockey India
The hope with which the Indian hockey team entered the field of Kalinga Stadium was shattered by Wales. India beat Wales 4-2 in their last group match at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 but even this win did not make India’s task any easier as they failed to beat England to reach the quarter-finals. Making her debut in the World Cup, Wales made Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist India sweat it out to win and definitely earned some respect before returning home.
India needed a big win in their last match in the pool round on Thursday, 19 January. If Team India had to beat England and make it directly to the quarter-finals, then it needed to beat Wales by a margin of at least 8 goals. Looking at Wales playing in the tournament for the first time, it didn’t seem too difficult as it got big defeats from England and Spain.
Jeet gaya bhai jeet gaya, India jeet gaya 🤩
🇮🇳 IND 4-2 WAL#INDvsWAL #HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HWC2023 #HockeyWorldCup2023 #StarsBecomeLegends @CMO_Odisha @sports_odisha @IndiaSports @Media_SAI @HockeyWales pic.twitter.com/r6xv70ZjhW
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) January 19, 2023
The scene seen at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar was just the opposite.