Seasoned Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh admitted that the tense 3-2 win against New Zealand in their opening Pool B match in the Paris Olympics served as a wake-up call ahead of tougher pool matches.
Coach Craig Fulton, however, expressed his satisfaction with the result as his team stuck to his plans during Saturday’s game.
Skipper Harmanpreet Singh’s penalty stroke conversion just two minutes before the final hooter proved to be the clincher as India secured a narrow win and three points.
India remained second in the group, also featuring group topper Belgium, Australia, Argentina and Ireland.
“The first match in the Olympics is never easy. New Zealand are not an easy team, We made some mistakes, but there were a few good things as well. It’s a good wake-up call for the team,” Sreejesh said after the match.
“We got three points and that is what is important. We gave them opportunities and they converted. The last few minutes were not easy but in hockey, it is always like that, from the first whistle to the last there is tension,” he added.
‘Not the perfect performance’
Fulton said, at this level, tough matches will be routine.
“You can see Australia, and Argentina were 1-0 (Australia won 1-0). It is tight. It is really, really tight,” said Fulton.
“So this was a really, really important step for us (to start with a victory),” he said, adding, “It wasn not the perfect performance, but we had a plan. We stuck to it.”
Fulton also admitted that India could have played a more aggressive game against New Zealand.
“We have different plans for different teams, and sometimes the best form of defence is attack. We did not really do enough with the ball,” he said.
“On the ball, we were not that good today in terms of keeping possession. But New Zealand are a competitive team, so they did well. They intercepted a lot of ball. So little areas, where we need to work. We did well,” Fulton observed.
The South African coach of India said he would take the win as a positive result even though it was not a flawless performance from his side.
“We had a good game. And I am glad that we got the win the way we did because we made some mistakes. They punished us for it. And at the end of the day, we came back and got the win,” said Fulton.
“This is the Olympics. So everyone has primed. You know, it is no easy team,” Fulton signed off.
India will face 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist Argentina on Monday at 4:45 PM IST.