India coach Sjoerd Marijne
“I remember that we lost the quarterfinal in 2018 against Ireland in London, but we learnt a lot from that match. In Tokyo 2021, we played against them and won.
It was not fluent, there was no rhythm in the passing and receiving and there were a lot of unforced errors,” Marijne told PTI after the draw. “You need to score goals to win matches, which didn’t happen against Australia,” he said. I am always proud of them,” said Marijne.
“It looked like there were nerves. We didn’t play the game we wanted to play. “It’s not that we can’t do it, but I don’t know why we couldn’t do it. We know we can do much better than this. Everyone is very disappointed. India’s inability to convert their opportunities ultimately proved decisive in a match where nothing short of victory would have kept their semifinal hopes alive. Marijne felt the draw itself was a positive result against Australia, but acknowledged that India could not afford to waste the chances that came their way. “This was our first setback. We didn’t lose and holding Australia to a draw is also a positive, although we needed to win this. In these kinds of matches you have to be there and avail the chances you get. The Dutchman identified penalty-corner conversion and composure inside the shooting circle as the biggest areas for improvement. India were defensively disciplined but struggled to turn their attacking moments into goals. So the learnings will be useful for the future. “We can’t change the result, but I am still very proud of the girls. We win together, we lose together and we draw together. Everyone gave their best. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
NEW DELHI: India women’s hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne admitted nerves got the better of his side in their crucial 0-0 draw against Australia, as a lack of rhythm, unforced errors and missed opportunities ended their hopes of reaching the World Cup semifinals. India’s best-ever Women’s World Cup finish remains fourth place in 1974. Marijne also recalled India’s quarterfinal defeat to Ireland at the 2018 World Cup, saying the experience eventually helped the side overcome Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics three years later.
We need to be a little more calm in scoring positions around the goalkeeper,” he said. “But if you had said five or six months ago that we were going to play the fifth-sixth position match, nobody would believe us. I also told the girls that we really need to learn from this,” he said. “I told the girls that we are all disappointed, but we are going to play the fifth-sixth position match, which is also historical.
The result sent them into the fifth-sixth place classification match instead, leaving Marijne disappointed with a performance he felt fell short of the team’s capabilities. “Defensively, we were very well structured and organised. The team was very disciplined and stayed on task. The major takeaway from the tournament is converting PCs and the opportunities we get. Despite the disappointment, Marijne urged his players to recognise how far they have come in recent months. India will now contest the fifth-sixth place playoff, a position the coach believes would have seemed unlikely just five or six months ago. Marijne believes reaching the fifth-sixth playoff represents another significant landmark. We have reached this position after many decades. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
India needed a win against Australia on Sunday to stay alive in the semifinal race but were held to a goalless draw. We also need to find out why we couldn’t do it today.