The Indian men's team may have won just one of their five matches, but a girls Under-18 team, though not the national junior team, won all its matches and the title. The event was part of the many activities being held on the sidelines of the main World Cup. The team, trained by SAI coach, Paramjit Singh, was put together to come and gain experience. Many of the players are from the Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy. "We wanted to taste the atmosphere in a country which is as hockey mad as India. We were physically weak but we have strong hockey skills and tactics. Here, the girls learned that they can win and that is a great boost for their confidence."
There were tournaments for U-12, U-14, U-16 and U-18 boys and girls and were held at the Hockey Club Zoetermeer, 10km from the Kyocera Stadium. As a reward for participation, the youngsters were also taken to one of the Indian men's team matches.
There were teams from Canada, Austria, India, England, Spain, Belgium, Germany among others.
Argentine men and US women, the surprise packets
The Argentine men and the United States women have been the surprise packets of the tournament so far. The Argentine men, ranked No. 11 in the world have already shocked Germany (No 2 in the world) and New Zealand (No. 6) to make the semifinals for the first time. Their best has been sixth place in 1986 and 2002.
The American women, ranked 10th, have stunned England (No 3), held Argentina (No. 2), beaten China (No. 5) and Germany (No. 6) to take the top place with holders Argentina. The best for US women has been third place in 1994, the only time they entered the last four in seven previous appearances at the World Cup.
Aymar's streak comes to an end
When Luciano Aymar missed Argentine women's match against England, on Sunday, it was the first World Cup match she had missed since Utrecht in 1988. Her streak of 33 consecutive games is indeed a testimony to her longevity. Argentina won the match with a penalty corner conversion at the stroke of the 70th minute to jointly top the pool with US. Both have 10 points but US have a better goal difference, 13-4 as against Argentina's 11-4.
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