India head coach Craig Fulton blamed early mistakes and a slow start for the team's 5-3 loss to Argentina, ending their World Cup run.
India men’s head coach Craig Fulton took full responsibility after a 5-3 defeat to Argentina officially ended the team's World Cup run on Monday. Early errors forced India into playing catch-up, and the side will now face Belgium in a match to decide seventh place.
Mistakes in the opening five minutes allowed Argentina to take control before further second-half errors ended India's hopes of a comeback. Young defender Yashdeep Siwach committed two defensive errors in the back, leading to Nicolas Della Torre scoring from a penalty corner and Tomas Domene converting a penalty stroke.
Addressing whether Siwach struggled with the pressure of the big stage, Fulton insisted the loss was a collective failure. "I think everyone didn’t have a good day today. Not just one player. I think it happens and it happened to us in this game," Fulton said. He added that an earlier result against England had placed India in a difficult position: "Had we held out and tried to get a result in that game, it would have changed everything further down."
Despite the early setbacks, India showed signs of life late in the game. Fulton noted that the team could have scored three goals in a five-to-six-minute span during the final 10 to 12 minutes, but admitted the late surge came too late.
Fulton also clarified the omission of defender Jugraj Singh from the second round, explaining it was due to a rotation strategy also involving Nilkanta Sharma and Vivek Sagar Prasad as part of preparations for the Asian Games.
This year, India has lost 10 out of 21 games while conceding 45 goals. Despite the tough run, Fulton expressed optimism about turning things around in the final ranking match against Belgium.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Hockey. Photo courtesy The Hindu Hockey.