When asked about Ward’s remarkable recovery, England captain Zach Wallace expressed his awe, stating, “It’s truly incredible. Most people would have their careers ended by an injury like that.”
Wallace, who captained the team for the first time in a major competition, was overjoyed to win a medal after a challenging journey to get there.
The team had faced demotivation and disappointment following their loss in the Olympic quarter-finals last year. In addition, they had to deal with multiple injuries to key players in recent months. During their match in Birmingham, they were missing one squad member due to Brendan Creed’s injury suffered in the opening match. Furthermore, they had been without a permanent head coach since the beginning of the year, with Paul Revington only taking up the role last month.
Wallace praised the team’s spirit and fight, stating, “This achievement speaks volumes about our group. We are in an incredibly strong position now.”
The most intense period of the match occurred in the 12 minutes leading up to half-time, during which six goals were scored.
South Africa’s Matt Guise-Brown, Mustapha Cassiem, and Nqobile Ntuli scored, while England’s Rhys Smith, Liam Ansell, and Ward matched them, resulting in a 3-3 scoreline at the break.
Smith’s goal was particularly impressive, as he seemed to have no space to maneuver inside the circle but managed to turn past one defender, nutmeg another, and shoot past the South African keeper.
Roper regained England’s lead and later added a second goal with a fortunate touch on Ward’s shot from a tight angle. Captain Wallace secured the win with a penalty stroke in the final 90 seconds.
Following the women’s team’s first-ever Commonwealth title win, Wallace expressed optimism for the future, saying, “There is a serious sense of optimism two years ahead of the Paris Olympics.” He added, “Our goal coming into the tournament was a gold medal, and that’s still the direction we want to go in. I’ve been playing for four years now, and this is my first medal. I’m absolutely thrilled, and it’s great to bounce back from [the semi-final defeat]. Our performance wasn’t perfect, but we got the job done in the end.”
While celebrating the women’s victory, Wallace jokingly added, “But at the same time, we don’t want them to outshine us too much!”
The success of both the men’s and women’s teams in England hockey has generated tremendous excitement. Wallace stated, “We are definitely on the right track. We want to continue improving and pushing ourselves further.”
Australia claimed the gold medal, dominating India with a 7-0 win in the final.
In addition, on the last day of the Games, England won three silvers in badminton doubles (men’s, women’s, mixed). Lauren Smith had the bittersweet experience of finishing as a runner-up twice in a day. Furthermore, squash veteran James Willstrop and partner James Declan secured gold in the doubles event.
A Recap of the Final Day of the Commonwealth Games
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