India look for 1st win against Spain

Late goal woes have stopped India from earning points in the ongoing hockey World Cup. However, it has not deterred the side which is determined to earn their first points when they take on Spain in their third Group A clash at the GreenFields Stadium here Thursday.

"Spain is a good team but we are fully prepared. We will keep a close watch on their forward Eduard Tubau who is known for creating chances and then scoring. With his 260-plus international caps, he is the most seasoned campaigner but we will not allow him to score against us," India captain Sardar Singh said.

While on one hand India have lost both their matches in the final moments, Spain drew their first match against World No.4 England 1-1 but then went on to lose their second match to defending champions Australia 0-3.

"We have worked hard on our defence for the mistakes we committed in the last two games. We will ensure that we keep our nerves and give a good finish tomorrow. The boys are fully motivated and determined to win the remaining matches. P.R. Sreejesh has been the highlight. We are looking to him to hold the fort high in the upcoming matches," added Sardar.

World No.10 Spain currently have a point from their draw. But India, with no points, will still go into the game high on confidence as they played high quality hockey and gave a tough challenge to World No.5 Belgium and England despite their losses.

"In our training and video sessions in the last two days, we have thoroughly worked on our shortcomings and tried to motivate the boys. We have also reworked our strategies for the future games and the focus will be only to win the remaining three games. I am sure that the boys will finish well in the remaining games and impress everyone with their performance," chief coach Terry Walsh said.