Hockey World Cup: India lose to England despite early lead
What's the story
Team India's journey in the Men's Hockey World Cup hit a major roadblock after a 2-4 loss to England in their second pool match at Amstelveen's Wagener Stadium on Monday. The defeat means that India's upcoming clash against Pakistan is now a do-or-die situation if they want to avoid an early exit from the tournament. Here are further details.
Match highlights
India take a 2-1 lead in the 1st half
England's Nicholas Bandurak opened the scoring in the 13th minute of the match.
However, India made a strong comeback with captain Harmanpreet Singh and Dilpreet Singh scoring two quick goals in the 16th and 24th minutes, respectively.
This gave India a temporary 2-1 lead over their higher-ranked opponents.
Game turnaround
England come back strong in the 2nd half
The match took a turn in the second half as England came back strong.
Stuart Rushmere and Henry Croft scored two quick goals in the third quarter, putting England ahead 3-2.
Bandurak then scored his second goal of the day in the 54th minute, sealing India's fate with a final score of 4-2 against them.
Qualification scenario
Do-or-die match for India against Pakistan
With three points from two matches, India now needs to either win or draw against Pakistan in their last pool match on Wednesday.
A victory or a draw will ensure India's qualification for the second round of the tournament.
However, if they lose against Pakistan, it could mean an early exit from this prestigious event.
Notanbly, India had kicked off their World Cup campaign with a resounding 3-1 victory over Wales.