New Delhi: India’s campaign at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 suffered a setback on Monday as England defeated the men’s team 4-2 in their second Pool D fixture at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands.
India had begun their campaign on a positive note, having beaten Wales 3-1 in their opening match, according to olympics.com.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh and Dilpreet Singh found the net for India, helping the side race to a 2-1 lead. England, however, hit back with three goals in the second half to seal the contest.
Nicholas Bandurak was the standout performer for England, scoring twice, in the 14th and 54th minutes. Stuart Rushmere and Henry Croft also got their names on the scoresheet, netting in the 39th and 43rd minutes respectively.
England were awarded their first penalty corner in the 10th minute after a referral, but Manpreet Singh denied them with a fine stick save.
England eventually broke the deadlock in the 14th minute, as a well-executed aerial pass exposed India’s defence and set up a two-on-one situation that Bandurak converted clinically.
India drew level early in the second quarter through a penalty corner, with Harmanpreet unleashing a powerful drag-flick into the top corner. India took the lead in the 24th minute, as Hardik Singh worked the ball to Abhishek, who found Dilpreet perfectly placed for the decisive touch.
India went into the break with the lead, having also enjoyed the better share of attacking chances, registering eight shots on goal compared to England’s three.
England found their rhythm after the interval and drew level in the 39th minute through Rushmere, before Croft put them 3-2 up four minutes later with his first World Cup goal.
India pushed hard for an equaliser in the closing quarter. Jarmanpreet won a penalty corner in the 47th minute, but Harmanpreet’s effort was denied by an alert England goalkeeper. Abhishek also went close in the 50th minute with an effort that travelled across the face of goal.
England eventually put the result beyond doubt in the 55th minute, as Bandurak completed his brace from a penalty corner to make it 4-2.
The result confirmed England’s progression to the next phase, with the side moving to six points from two matches and securing a top-two finish in Pool D.
India, meanwhile, remain second in the group with three points from two games. They will now face Pakistan in a must-win final pool match on Wednesday, with a semi-final berth on the line. Pakistan and Wales are yet to register a win in the tournament so far.
The defeat extended India’s wait for a World Cup win over England to 32 years. India’s only World Cup victory over England came way back in 1994, in the fifth-place playoff in Sydney, where they had won 1-0. Since then, England have won four World Cup meetings between the two sides, in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, while their most recent encounter in 2023 ended goalless.
