Madrid: Anupa Barla produced a late goal as the Indian women’s team salvaged a 1-1 draw against hosts Spain in the second game of the five-match series at the Consejo Superior de Deportes Hockey Stadium here Thursday.
Outclassed 0-3 in the opening game, India recovered well to produce a gritty show as they made a comeback in the last two quarters after Spain dominated the match in the first two quarters.
It was Spain’s Berta Bonastre (14th) who opened the scoring but Anupa cancelled out her goal in the 54th minute which meant that the Indian eves had salvaged some pride.
The opening quarter saw both teams vie for possession in midfield. There were a couple of half scoring opportunities for the two teams before Spain took the lead through their 26-year-old forward Bonastre, who scored for the second game in succession.
In the second quarter, India had a couple of chances. However, once Rani’s hit was saved by Spanish goalkeeper Maria Ruiz while Barla’s shot was off the target.
India were definitely the better side in the third quarter, but failed to convert the superiority into goals. Their efforts paid off in the fourth quarter when Barla deflected a Rani hit into the Spanish goal. They could have had the winner late in the game, but were thwarted on a couple of occasions by Ruiz.
Sushila hits 150
New Delhi: Indian defender and former captain Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam completed 150 international caps for the country when India faced Spain in the second game of the five-match series here Thursday. The Manipur defender has been an integral part of the Indian team since making her debut in the Test series against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2009 when she was 17. “I had always dreamed of representing the country at least once in my lifetime, but to have put on the national team colours 150 times, it makes me a very proud citizen of the country,” said Sushila ahead of the match.