England prevailed in the final against India 2-0 to win the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers at Hyderabad's Gachibowli's Stadium. Goals from Grace Balsdon and Elizabeth Neal did the job for England.
Both India and England had qualified for the FIH World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands by making it to the final. England were favourites going into the final and they lived up to the billing, having won all their matches in the tournament.
India started the match well, showing more aggressiveness on the ball as their coach Sjoerd Marijne demanded. Despite starting well, India conceded in the 13th minute from England's first penalty corner chance. Balsdon, who was in superb form throughout the week, converted her chance with a low and a hard dragflick. This was her fifth goal in the tournament as she ended on the top of the scoring charts along with Italy's Teresa Viana.
India pushed to find an equaliser -- they were winning the balls in the midfield and mounting attacks, but the final passes were not and lack of composure inside the circle didn't help either. Navneet Kaur, India's best player in the tournament, was once again brilliant with her attacking moves, however, she didn't get much help from others.
England eventually scored their second of the night in the 43rd minute, with the goal being awarded to Elizabeth Neal. Neal's pass took a deflection after hitting Manisha Chauhan's foot and rolled it in. India had their chances from penalty corners as well but all four were blocked.
Marijne passed his first test of his second stint with the team, making sure they qualify for the World Cup. It was a young Indian team with plenty of promising youngsters, who had their moments but still need to make improvements and show consistency at this level.
For now, it's a job done for India and they will start their preparations for the World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Relive the match on our blog below: