MADRID, 9 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish women’s field hockey team will play this Sunday the pass to the quarterfinals of the FIH World Cup against India, a tough rival for the interests of the ‘Red Sticks’ who will try to impose their local status to continue in the battle for medals.
Adrian Lock’s men closed the group stage in second position after losing (1-4) in the key match against Argentina. A defeat that led them the long way to the World Cup and deprived them of the direct ticket to the quarterfinals.
Spain recovered in the third match against South Korea with a solid performance (4-1) and closed the initial phase with two victories in their locker that allow them to continue dreaming of a complicated but exciting feat playing as hosts in the Stadium Terrassa Olympic.
Now, the ‘Red Sticks’ will have to overcome the Asian team, which arrives as third in its group and without knowing the victory in its three games played against England and China -with two draws (1-1), and New Zealand (3 -4).
The team trained by Janneke Schopman comes from achieving third position in the FIH Pro League, even beating the almighty Netherlands 2-1. Among his assets stands out Gurjit Kaur, the best player of 2021 at the FIH’s ‘Hockey Stars Awards’ for his outstanding role in the Olympic Games, where they achieved a historic fourth position.
The two duels between both teams in the Pro League ended with a victory for Spain (4-3) and another for India (2-1). An equality that they will try to break this Sunday in order to continue immersed in the dream of the world event.
“They are a dangerous rival and they are going to require us to do things well, both in possession and in defense and in penalty corners. in the areas will mark the result a lot”, explained the coach of the Spanish team, Adrian Lock.
To support the hosts, the Royal Spanish Hockey Federation (RFEH) has started the campaign ‘Let’s fill the Stadium’ with the aim of filling the stands of the Terrassa Olympic. For this reason, the players have asked that no one miss the “transcendent appointment”.
The winner of the match will play next Wednesday the quarterfinals against Australia, which hopes as one of the first four classified in the first phase of the tournament by passing undefeated.