India produced inconsistent performances in crucial matches to crash out of the title race.
Ramandeep Singh scored two fine goals as the showpiece subcontinental hockey encounter between arch-rivals India and Pakistan ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw in the World League semi-finals at the KHC Dragons Stadium in Antwerp.
Services added three gold to their collection and remain on top of the charts with 56 gold, 34 silver and 30 bronze medals for a total of 120.
The title encounter seemed headed for the penalty shootout after Australia's two successive penalty corners in the last 25 seconds, the second of which Ciriello finally found the target by placing the shot wide of the Belgian goalkeeper's reach.
Australia continued with their impressive form after the initial hiccup and inched closer towards a semifinal spot beating Olympic silver medallist Spain 2-0 in a crucial Pool B match of the Hero Honda FIH World Cup in New Delhi on Saturday.
Gurjit Kaur scored a brace as the Indian women's hockey team dished out a spirited performance to stun Olympic silver medallist Argentina 2-1
The Indians started brightly and earned a couple of penalty corners and from one such situation, Sharmila Devi gave her side the lead in the 13th minute, scoring from a rebound after Gurjit Kaur's initial flick was saved by the Chinese defence.
A summary of Indian athletes' showing at the Commonwealth Games on Day 3.
Following is India's schedule at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Sunday, October 1.
Captain Rani Rampal's clinical strike helped India beat South Africa 1-0 to seal their place in the semi-finals of the women's hockey event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, on Tuesday.
India conceded a soft goal in the fifth minute of the second semi-final encounter when Cedric Charlier scored from a field strike for Belgium, which eventually separated both the teams at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel stadium.
Following is India's schedule at the Asian Games on Tuesday, October 3.
Balbir Singh Sr met MS Dhoni four years ago when the Indian team was at the PCA stadium in Mohali ahead of their World T20 tie against Australia. Singh wanted to convey his good wishes to the team before the game.
Pakistan men's team slumped to a new low as it failed to qualify for next year's Rio Olympics.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
World champions Australia completed their all-win sequence in the round-robin league competition of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament by posting a facile 3-0 victory over Canada, in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Friday.
'Whatever happened at the Asian Games, that's a big learning curve for the players, coach and the staff.'
India defeated Uzbekistan 10-0 in their last pool A match, on Monday, in the ongoing FIH Men's Series Finals at Kalinga Stadium
High on confidence after their good start to the tournament, India are expecting to log at least a point to inch towards the semifinals when they take on formidable China in their Women's Asia Cup hockey match in Bangkok on Tuesday.
Defending champions Orissa Steelers completed the semifinal line-up, handing out a 2-0 drubbing to Sher-e-Jalandhar in the last league match of the Premier Hockey League at the Sector 42 Stadium in Chandigarh on Thursday night.
Following is the schedule of the Indian contingent on the 12th day of the Asian Games in Jakarta on Thursday.
Hyderabad Sultans put paid to the aspirations of Maratha Warriors edging them out 1-0 to enter the semifinals of the Premier Hockey League at the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium in Chandigarh on Wednesday.
Following is the schedule of Indian contingent on the seventh day of the Asian Games on Saturday.
A resilient Uttar Pradesh Wizards came up with an inspired show to beat defending champions Jaypee Punjab Warriors 6-2 in a Hockey India League match, in Chandigarh, on Monday.
Struggling Mumbai Magicians slumped to their 10th defeat in eleven games when they lost 0-1 to Uttar Pradesh Wizards in a must-win game of the Hockey India League at the MHA-Mahindra Stadium, in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Uttar Pradesh Wizards produced a scintillating performance to beat two-time title holders Ranchi Rays 4-0 and jump to the third spot.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Chandigarh became the first team to qualify for the semifinals from pool 'B' by virtue of their solitary goal victory over Maharashtra in the 32nd National Games.
VR Raghunath slammed a golden goal in the last minute of extra-time as India beat Malaysia 5-4 in a thrilling match to advance to the semifinals of the Champions Challenge hockey tournament in Johannesburg on Thursday.
India might have lost to Pakistan in the summit clash of men's hockey in the 12th South Asian Games but captain Mandeep Antil on Saturday sought to take the positives from the performance of his players, saying they have done well given the inexperience of the team. With the country's top players taking part in the ongoing Hockey India League, India fielded an inexperienced team mostly consisting of junior players and they failed to click as a unit in the SAG. India settled for the silver medal after losing twice to arch-rivals Pakistan, including in the final 0-1 in Guwahati on Friday night. India had just two senior players who had played some international matches in Antil himself and veteran Gurbaj Singh. Even Antil has played just 20-odd international matches while Gurbaj has donned India colours in more than 200 games. Pakistan had at least six players who played in the London Olympics. Antil said he was disappointed to have lost to Pakistan in the final, which he felt was a close match. "Any loss to Pakistan at any level is a disappointment. We wanted to win the gold but we could not do it. We played better (than the group match which also India lost 1-2) and it was a close match but we lost again," Antil told PTI.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
The committee also picked 19 sportspersons for the Arjuna Award, including the likes of cricketers Ravindra Jadeja and Poonam Yadav, track and field stars Tejinder Pal Singh Toor, Mohammed Anas and Swapna Barman.
Defending champions Japan thrashed Chinese Taipei 7-0 while twice title winners South Korea mauled Kazakhstan 15-0 at Queen Sikirt Sports Centre in Bangkok.
Following is the schedule of Indian contingent on the ninth day of the Asian Games, on Monday.
Images from the 12th men's Hockey World Cup Pool A final round of matches on Tuesday.
Desmond Abbott struck twice to lead Australia to a come from behind 2-1 win over Pakistan and into the semifinals of the hockey World Cup at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on Monday.
Images from the Pool B match between India and England in New Delhi on Saturday.
A nervy Pakistan put behind their defeat against arch-rivals India to eke out a narrow 2-1 win against Spain in a hard-fought Pool B encounter of the hockey World Cup in New Delhi on Tuesday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Saturday.
