CWG 2022: Another drubbing at Australia’s hands for Indian men’s hockey team | Commonwealth Games 2022 News – Times of India

In 2010 Commonwealth Games, it was Australia vs India for the gold medal at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi. Though the Aussies were powerful, the Indian hockey fans were expecting a close fight. But the Australians reduced it to a no-contest within the first half hour, pumping in three goals and eventually winning by a massive 8-0 margin.
Twelve years later, at the 2022 CWG, history repeated itself. India lost to Australia in the final. Only a goal less was scored as the final scoreline read 7-0.
On Monday, the rampaging Aussies sounded the board four times in the first half hour. It was a mere formality there onwards.
Blake Govers (9th minute), Nathan Ephraums (14′, 42′), Jacob Anderson (22′) Tom Wickham (26′), Jacob Anderson (27′) and Flynn Ogilvie (46′) scored the goals for Australia.
Even in the 2014 CWG, it was a similar thumping meted out by the Australians in the final against India. They had won 4-0 in Glasgow.

“This was not the result we wanted. A good fight, a closer result… then we would be happy, but this is not the result we wanted. We could have done something more, we could have created more opportunities, but we didn’t play our best game,” Indian skipper Manpreet Singh said later.
“We didn’t win a silver medal, we lost gold,” the goalkeeper of the team, PR Sreejesh, said. “It’s disappointing. This is my second time losing in the final (after 2014), so it’s quite hard.”
India’s failure to come up with the goods against Australia in marquee tournaments has been exasperating not only for the fans but also the team members.

“We need to have more pressure on the Aussies in upcoming tournaments. We’ll watch these matches (where India have lost) and we’ll come back strong,” Manpreet said.
“There are a lot of youngsters in our team, so this is going to be a good lesson for them. In major tournaments, if you want to win the title, you’ve to beat teams like Australia in the final or semis. You have to mentally and physically prepare for that,” Sreejesh added.
The Australians were full of intensity from the get go. In the first 10 minutes itself, they had raided the Indian box four times. Sreejesh denied them in the second minute, while Amit Rohidas deflected the ball off the goal line to keep the Aussies at bay.
Australia continued to play free-flowing hockey and were rewarded in the ninth minute when penalty corner expert Blake Govers flicked one between the legs of Sreejesh for a goal.
The second goal came soon. In the 14th minute, the Aussies swarmed the Indian defence and once again found ample space within the striking circle. Nathan Ephraums got the final touch to make it 2-0 for the defending champions.

Australia pumped in three more goals in the second quarter to put the game beyond India’s reach. Sreejesh thwarted numerous attempts by the Aussies, but the Indian defence was in tatters by this time.
Jacob Anderson converted a penalty corner in the 22nd minute, while Tom Wickham and Anderson added two more field goals to the Australian tally to make it 5-0.
In between, India were dealt a major blow when Manpreet collided with Aran Zalewski and walked off the field.
Ephramus scored his second goal of the day after receiving a long ball from Flynn Ogilvie in the 42nd minute, as Australia got its sixth.
Ogilvie and Ephraums then swapped roles in the 46th minute to put the final nail in the coffin.