New Delhi: India dished out a superlative performance to hold Olympic champions Germany to a 3-3 draw in their last game of the pool phase at Hockey World League Final, and chief coach Terry Walsh said his wards played much better hockey against a quality opponent.
India left behind the memories of their opening two defeats against England (0-2) and New Zealand (1-3) and produced a spirited performance to hold the world number one side at the floodlit Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Monday.
"We did several things better today. We were trying to improve in different areas. We played better against a quality opponent like Germany. I think the opponents didn't play that well today," Walsh said at the post-match press conference.
"We were fighting to give us an opportunity to play against Argentina which didn't materialise. We played with much more authority and quality. The defence was very well organised," he added.
India conceded goal in the dying stages of the match, courtesy a defensive error, to split points with Germany, and captain Sardar Singh admitted that it was solely his mistake.
"I accept it was my mistake. I was in two minds. First, I thought I will clear the ball but later realising that there was no one near me, I thought of just stopping the ball but I missed it," he said.
Germany coach Markus Weise said his side didn't play to its strength. "We had an awful game. We made plenty of technical errors in the first half."
Weise praised India for their performance especially after losing the first two games in the tournament. "India put in a lot of effort. They did a good job. They played hard game and deserved at least a draw," he said.
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