India lets slip the advantage, draws with Scotland

After cruising past Uruguay, India faced a acold sterner situation from Scotland successful the FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers astatine the G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium connected Monday. The big recovered from an aboriginal setback to instrumentality the lead, lone for Scotland to combat backmost and gain a deserved 2-2 draw.

Scotland capitalised connected India’s sluggish start, winning a punishment country successful the sixth infinitesimal aft uncovering excessively overmuch abstraction successful midfield. Jennifer Eadie’s resistance flick was deftly deflected successful by Heather McEwan, handing the visitors the aboriginal advantage.

Udita and Navneet Kaur tried to inject immoderate urgency into India’s play successful the opening quarter, but Scotland’s defence stood firm. India, meanwhile, struggled to find rhythm, and Baljeet Kaur’s mediocre trapping resulted successful a wasted punishment country conscionable earlier the break.

Three minutes aft play resumed, India drew level done a well-worked punishment corner. After Sushila Chanu fumbled with her trapping, Navneet Kaur took possession, combined with Sushila successful a speedy one-two and smashed the shot goalward, with the changeable taking a deflection disconnected Eve Pearson connected its mode in.

With small much than a infinitesimal to spell for the half-time, India took the lead. Rutuja Pisal won a punishment corner, which Scotland failed to clear. Manisha Chauhan’s drag-flick bounced disconnected the woodwork resulting successful a scramble successful the circle, earlier Sunelita Toppo reacted quickest to usher the shot home.

Scotland, however, pegged India backmost successful the 3rd quarter. McEwan dispossessed Udita and a series of crisp, one-touch passes carved unfastened the Indian defence earlier Fiona Burnet finished calmly astatine the acold station to reconstruct parity.

India spent overmuch of the 4th thereafter holding disconnected sustained unit from the Scottish players, adjacent squandering 3 punishment corners successful the last infinitesimal of the period. Navneet spearheaded India’s propulsion successful the last quarter, but some defences held firm, leaving the teams to settee for a constituent each.

The results: Italy 3 (Federica Carta 19-pc, Lola Brea 21, Eleonora Di Paola 45) bt Austria 0; England 3 (Lily Walker 16, Elizabeth Neal 38-pc, Grace Baldson 44-pc) bt Korea 0; Uruguay 3 (Manuela Vilar 29-pc, Agustina Diaz 36-pc, Teresa Viana 41) bt Wales 2 (Anja Atkin, Rachel Goodwin); India 2 (Navneet Kaur 18-pc, Sunelita Toppo 29-pc) drew with Scotland 2 (Heather McEwan 6-pc, Fiona Burnet 33).