Ghana down Singapore 2-1 to claim 7th position

New Delhi, March 15, 2015: Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium witnessed a hard- fought first match on the final day of the Hero FIH Hockey World League Round 2 (Women). Playing for the 7/8th spot, Singapore met Ghana in a nerve-wrecking clash where Ghana defeated Singapore 2-1 and settled for the seventh position whereas Singapore took the eighth spot in the tournament.

Singapore and Ghana began swiftly with their clever moves and Ghana enjoyed majority of possession of ball during the opening exchanges in the first quarter of the game.

The first quarter started with both the teams showing their attacking intent from both the flanks. With just six minutes into the game, it was Singapore who was awarded with a penalty corner and Eunice Teng rushed forward and passed the ball to Ivy Chan who made a well struck shot converting the first penalty corner of the game in a 1-0 lead. Without wasting much time, Ghana earned a penalty corner and struck a goal straight through a crowded area which came through the stick of Linda Sasu in the ninth minute of the game. The score was levelled at 1-1 by the end of the first quarter.

As both the teams started brightly and got their early goals in the first quarter itself, Singapore managed to earn their second penalty corner but unfortunately failed to convert it. Ghana’s goalie Gertrude Amui showed her sharp reflexes throughout the game and intercepted the ball before it landed on the target. With neither of the teams able to score in the second quarter, the score remained stagnant on 1-1.

The third quarter proved to be a tight and edgy affair as the two teams were seen playing more cautiously and upheld their defence strongly. Looking at adding one more goal to their score tally, both the teams continued to assert dominance on each other. Good stick work and an excellent defence was dished out by the girls of both the sides in the entire session not yielding a single goal and the score still showed a figure of 1-1 on the score board.

Entering into the fourth and the last quarter of the game, the girls of Ghana manoeuvred themselves into the right position and Elizabeth Opoku surged ahead to fire an accurate shot that nestled into the goal post in 57th minute of the game. Ghana produced a spirited game and concluded the game with a 2-1 win over Singapore, claiming the 7th spot in the tournament.

Speaking on claiming the seventh position in the tournament, a much excited Ghana Coach Osei Boakye-Yiadom said, “We are very content to have won a game at last and that too a crucial one. Everyone is happy with this win. This tournament has been a learning experience, we improved a lot as a team game after game and there is still lot to learn in terms of skills, techniques, tactics and the way the Asians plays their game.”

HI Press release