Women's Hockey World Cup 2022: India eye quarter-finals berth in crossovers against hosts Spain

India will take on Spain in their FIH Women's Hockey World Cup 2022 match crossover match on Sunday (Monday early morning India time) with an aim to seal a quarter-finals berth.

The Savita Punia-led side qualified for the crossovers as a result of finishing third in Pool B. India played out two draws in the group stage against England (1-1) and China (1-1) and lost 3-4 to New Zealand in the final Pool B match. While the top team from the groups directly qualified for the quarter-finals, the second and third-placed sides are required to play in the crossovers.

With seven points, New Zealand topped Pool B while England were second with four points. India (two points) edged China (two points) on goal difference to finish third. They will now face Spain, who finished second in Pool C, in Terrassa. The winner of the match will face Australia in the quarter-finals.

"We knew the pool matches were going to be really tough. We fought hard and never gave up, but it's just that the results haven't been in our favour. However, we should quickly put it behind us, and focus on what's next. We are still in contention and will give our everything to qualify for the quarter-finals," skipper Savita said reflecting on the group stage performance.

India recently faced Spain, who registered two wins and a loss in the group stage, in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22. India won the first match 2-1, while Spain clinched the second leg of the double-header 4-3, held at Bhubaneswar, Odisha earlier this year.

India will need an all-round performance to edge Spain who posses the home advantage. India struggled to score in their first two matches but were defensively disciplined. Against New Zealand, they scored three goals but also allowed the opposition to score four and they will need to dish out an error-free performance to reach the quarter-finals.

"Spain are a very good team and they are playing at their home so it will be a challenging match. However, we have played against them in the Pro League this year, so we are quite familiar with how they have been playing in recent times. But, the focus tomorrow will be on ourselves, on how we execute our plans. We will have to play our A-game against them for sure," Savita said looking ahead to the match.

Click here to find out when and where you can watch the match in India.

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