Hockey World League Finals: India scanter past the finishing line to bag bronze medal

Apples were banned from the Kalinga Stadium the last fortnight. The harmless fruit figures prominently in the list of items considered to be ‘security threat’. But on Sunday, one snuck in. And became the biggest threat to the Indian defence. Mark Appel came to Bhubaneswar as one of the two goalkeepers in Germany’s squad. But he will leave the city as the scorer of one of the most memorable goals in international hockey not just for the way it was scored but also the circumstances, which made it even more special. The team doctor declared all of them unfit to play the bronze-medal match and with Timur Oruz already ruled out due to injury, Germany were left with just 9 outfield players and 2 goalkeepers for the playoff. So, on the morning of the match, they went into a huddle in their meeting room of the team hotel.

                                India, despite the numerical advantage, were rattled. The unusual scenario that they unwittingly became part of threw them off their game and they looked like a team willing to show mercy on the opponents rather than being ruthless. Although they enjoyed possession and had more entries into the German ‘D’, India were not clinical enough to open the scoring. Germany, on the other hand, created the better chances despite their players conserving energy to last the entire match. Germany had shown India its place in the group stage match earlier in the week. But to return to the field less than 24 hours after playing Australia to take on the hosts in front of nearly 10,000 people for a medal with just 11 men was a brave call. Then again, it’d have been very unlike Germany if they would’ve thrown the towel without even stepping on the field.