New Zealand down France 2-1 in Pool A of Hockey World Cup

BHUBANESWAR: France, the lowest-ranked team of the tournament, fought well against New Zealand but went down 1-2 in the Hockey World Cup Pool A encounter at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium on Wednesday. The first-quarter, unlike the first three games of the tournament, witnessed no goals. The execution inside the penalty circle wasn’t perfect. Passes were missed, untrapped and, hence, despite both teams penetrating each other’s penalty circles, they failed to score. But within a minute of the second quarter’s start, the Black Sticks scored. The intermission of the first quarter seemed to break France’s momentum. Shea McAleese surprised them with an aerial long ball from the half-line. Kane Russell, from the right flank, trapped the ball after it bounced once. He, then, sprinted along the byline and, with a reverse-tomahawk, made a spectacular finish.