Hockey World League Final, highlights: Adam Dixon's brace takes England to 2-0 win over India in Pool A

With the 2-0 loss to England, India stand at No.3 spot in the Pool A table, behind Germany and England. New Zealand, who were earlier routed 6-1 by Germany, are at last spot. India play New Zealand next, in a must-win game on Saturday.

 

England's hero of the day Adam Dixon, has been named the Player of the Match. He says: "We always though it was a tough game. The entire squad played very well on the field. This performance sets the tone for us for the rest of the tournament."

 

# FULL-TIME: India lose 2-0 to England in their Pool A opener.

 

# England earn another PC, in the closing minutes of play - 69th minute. However, acrobatic Sreejesh avoids a third goal.

 

# Close shave for India as Michael Hoare does a brilliant field work in the 64th minute, finds the wide gaps in defence but his strike on the goal is wide. India not showing proper urgency to make a come back into the game.

 

# England win the referral as Birender Lakra's stop was not at the edge or beyond the circle - Goal denied to India. Could have been 2-1 but it still is 2-0 for England.

 

# Another PC for India but what happened there? Rupinder Pal Singh nets it in in 60th minute but England players ask for a referral.

 

# England playing attacking in a bid to protect their 2-goal lead. India have been put on the back foot.

 

# England's shirt number 22 David Candon goes for a strike but it lands short of the cage.

 

# Affan seems to be in center of all the attention, this time earns a green card, in the 47th minute.

 

# Affan earns India another PC but the ball was not stopped properly so India miss another go at the net.

 

# GOAL! Adam Dixon gets his second of the game and England are in cruise control. A well-worked penalty corner by the visitors and India find themselves 2-0 down with 25 minutes to go.

 

# England have barely threatened in the second half, being confined to their end of the pitch. However, David Condon has been a rock at the back for them.

 

# India are trying to mix things up by playing the flanks with Yuvraj Walmiki looking like India's most dangerous player. However, England are extremely quick to regroup in defence and are holding on to their 1-0 lead.

 

# The second half gets underway and India immediately attack in search of an equaliser. However, Sarsar Singh and Co. are denied by a resolute England defence.

 

# HALF-TIME: England hold on to 1-0 lead over India.

 

# 30th minute - Rupinder Pal Singh replaced by Amit Rohidas on the field by India. Meanwhile, Henry Meir has been given a greed card by the umpire.

 

# GOAL! England score in the 28th minute and take the lead. England's No. 16 Adam Dixon with neat play converts from the penalty corner.

 

# Kothajit concedes a PC. Could have been avoided by the Indians. Can England make it count this time?

 

# India concede their first penalty corner, in 21st minute as Rupinder Pal Singh follies for India. Luckily for the hosts, England fail to convert.

 

# Another PC for India, this time Raghunath took an angular hit and it goes wide. Two chances gone for India.

 

# India earn a PC, their first, in the 15th minute after Affan fails to get a good stick on that pass from Raghunath. India fail to convert as goalkeeper kneels and stops.

 

# Yousuf Affan claims a goal, asks umpire for a refferal after a long shot from Manpreet seemed to have got a touch from Affan. Umpire declares it in favour of England.

 

# Englishman Tom Carsen runs with the ball, sends it to the Indian D, but a brilliant save by India keeper PR Sreejesh, who leaps and blocks.

 

# Five minutes into the game and both teams have started with mild attacking moves. India and England settling down steadily.

 

# Indian Team News: Kothajit, Manpreet Singh and Yuvraj Walmiki are not starting for India.

 

# First signs of any attack, from England from the left flank, blunted by Indian defenders.

 

# Players getting ready for the national anthems.

 

# Indian and English players making their way out in the middle.

 

# Australia beat Belgium in the opening match of the tournament with a 3-2 win. Argentina, on the other hand, shocked three-time world champions Netherlands 5-2 in the second game. (Read match report)

 

Welcome to our coverage of the Hockey World League Final. India face England in their opening Pool A tie.

 

Match Preview

A relatively new-look India would be gunning for glory on home turf under new coach Terry Walsh in the inaugural Hero Hockey World League Final where the team will open their campaign against higher-ranked England at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, in New Delhi on Friday.

The tournament will provide India a perfect build up for the World Cup to be held later this year at The Hague, Netherlands. With the world's top seven teams in fray here, India could not have asked for better preparation for the quadrennial event. India should consider themselves lucky to be one of the participating teams in the HWL Final. Having failed to qualify directly, India managed a place in the event by the virtue of being the host. India are also slated to host the prestigious Champions Trophy later this year and it is now high time the past masters of the game take advantage of these big-ticket opportunities.

The tournament will provide the Sardar Singh-led side an opportunity to prove to the world that Indian hockey is on course to regaining its past glory. Apart from the silver medal in the Asia Cup, India didn't have anything major to show in 2013. The Indians finished a disappointing sixth in the Hockey World League semi-finals in Rotterdam, but the tournament provides the eight-time Olympic champions a perfect stage to prove their detractors wrong. But for that, they will have to overpower formidable opponents such as Germany, Australia and Netherlands. India are placed in Pool A along side reigning Olympic champions and world number one Germany, world No. 4 England and seventh-ranked New Zealand. Pool B consists of Australia, Netherlands, Belgium and Argentina.

So, understandably it won't be a cake-walk for the Indians, who are ranked 10th in the world, and Walsh's boys will have to perform superbly if they desire to progress to the knockout stage. (Read full preview)

India better than their No.10 ranking: England coach

England's chief hockey coach Bobby Crutchley believes that eight-time Olympic Champions India are much better than their World No.10 ranking.

World No.4 England and India are clubbed in the same group with Olympic champions and world number one Germany and New Zealand in the Hockey World League Final that starts here Friday at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium. England start their campaign against India and Crutchley, who was appointed last year, feels that the hosts can hope to reclaim their lost glory only gradually.

"India's ranking doesn't reflect its true potential. They have the talent but they cannot dream to become the No.1 team overnight but have to take gradual steps to improve," the 43-year-old Crutchley said on the sidelines of a practice session. (Read more)

India coach Terry Walsh's main goal is improvement

The inaugural Hockey World League Final is chief coach Terry Walsh's first real test with the Indian team and the Australian sounded realistic about his side's chances, saying he was eyeing nothing but "improvement" from his wards in the tournament.

India got a chance to play in the Hockey World League Final by being the hosts and placed along side Germany, England and New Zealand in Pool A while the Pool B consists of Australia, Netherlands, Belgium and Argentina.

Asked Walsh about his expectations from the tournament, he replied: "The goal is improvement. Improvement in four basic areas of our performance -- physiological, psychological, tactical and basic skills."

"Expectations for me is measurement. To measure our steady rate of improvement, to evaluate where we are physiologically. To evaluate where we are in terms of handling pressure," he said. (Read more)