Hockey World Cup: India beat Canada 5-1, progress to quarterfinals
Bhubaneswar, Dec 8 : An impressive India thrashed Canada 5-1 to top Pool C and seal a direct berth in the quarterfinals of the men's hockey World Cup in front of a capacity crowd at the Kalinga Stadium here on Saturday.
India scored four goals in the fourth quarter through Chinglensana Singh (46th minute), Lalit Upadhyay (47th, 57th) and Amit Rohidas (51st) after Harmanpreet Singh gave home team the lead in the 12th minute.
Canada's lone goal came from the sticks of Floris van Son in the 39th minute.
By virtue of this win, India finished on top of Pool C with seven points ahead of world no.3 Belgium on account of better goal difference.
Belgium, too on seven points, finished second ahead of third placed Canada after thrashing South Africa 5-1 in the other Pool C game earlier in the day. South Africa crashed out of the tournament.
While India qualified directly for the quarterfinals by being the toppers, Belgium and Canada will play in the cross-overs for a place in the last-eight round.
Canada too overcame South Africa by virtue of a better goal difference. Both the teams finished their pool engagements with one point apiece.
India will play their quarterfinal match on December 13.
Earlier in the day, Olympic silver medallist Belgium outclassed South Africa 5-1 in their last pool game.
Alexander Hendrickx (14th, 22nd minutes) scored a brace while Simon Gougnard (18th), Loick Luypaert (30th) and Cedric Charlier (48th) were the other goal-scorer for Belgium.
South Africa, on the other hand, had stunned the world no.3 side just 36 seconds from the start through Nicholas Spooner's field strike.
The match between India and Canada was touted to be a battle between attack and defence and it panned out exactly the same as the hosts attacked in numbers from the onset to create quite a few scoring chances.
India's first scoring chance came in the ninth minute when skipper Manpreet Singh's cross from the left flank was met by Dilpreet Singh in the near post but the Canadian goalkeeper Antoni Kindler positioned himself at the right spot to thwart the danger.
In the next minute, India got their first penalty corner but Canada defended stoutly.
Mandeep Singh was then denied by a good reflex save by the Canada keeper.
The Canadian defence finally surrendered in front of India's relentless attack when Harmanpreet converted the home team's second penalty corner in the 12th minute.
The Indians had another penalty corner in the next minute but Amit messed up the chance.
The hosts couldn't live up to the tempo with which they played in the first quarter, which meant scoring chances subsided as Canada tried to make a comeback.
Canada goalkeeper Kindler came to his side's rescue twice in the second quarter to keep the scoreline under check.
First Kindler saved Sumit's reverse shot from top of the box in the 22nd minute and then kept away Akashdeep Singh's attempt after he was set up by Simranjeet Singh's burst from 25 yards.
The script, however, changed a little bit after the change of ends with Canada slowly clawing back into the match with some impressive counter-attacks.
Canada are considered as a solid defensive unit and they played like one. Whenever India attacked, a sea of red assembled inside their circle to keep the hosts at bay.
Canada drew parity against the run of play in the 39th minute through a counter-attack. Gordon Johnston found James Wallace just outside the circle, who dribbled past two Indian defenders to set it up for Floris van Son who didn't make any mistake to complete a fine goal.
Stunned by the equaliser, India went all out and, in the process, scored two quick goals to take a 3-1 lead.
First Chinglensana scored from a rebound and then in the very next minute Lalit slotted the ball in after snatching it just outside the box from Sukhi Panesar.
Four minutes later, Amit converted India's fourth penalty corner before Lalit scored his second goal of the day, tapping in Sumit's pass.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
US vetoes Palestinian bid to gain statehood at the United Nations
United Nations, Apr 19: The US has vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council on the latest Palestinian bid to be granted full membership of the United Nations, an outcome lauded by Israel but criticised by Palestine as “unfair, immoral, and unjustified".
The 15-nation Council voted on a draft resolution Thursday that would have recommended to the 193-member UN General Assembly “that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.”
The resolution got 12 votes in its favour, with Switzerland and the UK abstaining and the US casting its veto.
To be adopted, the draft resolution required at least nine Council members voting in its favour, with no vetoes by any of its five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Palestinian attempts for recognition as a full member state began in 2011. Palestine is currently a non-member observer state, a status that was granted in November 2012 by the UN General Assembly.
This status allows Palestine to participate in proceedings of the world body but it cannot vote on resolutions. The only other non-member Observer State at the UN is the Holy See, representing the Vatican.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz praised the US for vetoing what he called a “shameful proposal.”
“The proposal to recognise a Palestinian state, more than 6 months after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and after the sexual crimes and other atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists was a reward for terrorism”, Katz wrote on X, after the US veto.
US Ambassador Robert Wood, Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs, said in the explanation of the vote at the Security Council meeting on Palestinian membership that Washington continues to strongly support a two-state solution.
“It remains the US view that the most expeditious path toward statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the support of the United States and other partners,” he said.
“This vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgement that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties.”
Wood said there are “unresolved questions” as to whether Palestine meets the criteria to be considered a State.
“We have long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to help establish the attributes of readiness for statehood and note that Hamas - a terrorist organisation - is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution,” he said, adding that “For these reasons, the United States voted “no” on this Security Council resolution.”
Wood noted that since the October 7 attacks last year against Israel by Hamas, US President Joe Biden has been clear that sustainable peace in the region can only be achieved through a two-state solution, with Israel’s security guaranteed.
"There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and future as a democratic Jewish state. There is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live in peace and with dignity in a state of their own. And there is no other path that leads to regional integration between Israel and all its Arab neighbours, including Saudi Arabia,” he said.
The Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, sharply criticised the US veto, saying that it was “unfair, immoral, and unjustified, and defies the will of the international community, which strongly supports the State of Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations.”
Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, said that “our right to self-determination has never once been subject to bargaining or negotiation.
“Our right to self-determination is a natural right, a historic right, a legal right. A right to live in our homeland Palestine as an independent state that is free and that is sovereign. Our right to self-determination is inalienable...,” he said.
Getting emotional and choking up as he made the remarks, Mansour said that a majority of the Council members “have risen to the level of this historic moment” and have stood “on the side of justice, freedom and hope.”
He asserted that Palestine’s admission as a full member of the UN is an “investment in peace.”
On April 2, 2024, Palestine again sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres requesting that its application for full UN membership be considered again.
For a State to be granted full UN membership, its application must be approved both by the Security Council and the General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting is required for the State to be admitted as a full member.
Earlier in the day, Guterres, in his remarks to a Council meeting on the Middle East, warned that the region is on a “knife edge”.
“Recent escalations make it even more important to support good-faith efforts to find lasting peace between Israel and a fully independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” Guterres said.
“Failure to make progress towards a two-state solution will only increase volatility and risk for hundreds of millions of people across the region, who will continue to live under the constant threat of violence,” he said.
The UN, citing the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said that between October 7 last year and April 17, at least 33,899 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 76,664 Palestinians injured. Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 33 children, have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on October 7.
As of April 17, Israeli authorities estimate that 133 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
