CWG 2022: "Clock did not start" - Twitterati vent their ire after mistake by officials in India vs Australia women's hockey semi-final

An India vs Australia hockey match usually has all the ingredients of a humdinger and the Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG) women's semi-final had much more to it than that.

Although the Indian women's hockey team went down 0-3 (1-1 in regulation time) against Australia in the shootout of a pulsating semi-final clash, the focus this time has shfited on an 'official howler'.

India and Australia were deadlocked at 1-1 in regulation time. In a spirited display of hockey, the Indian team's defense worked well, in tandem with the midfield, to deny Australia many times.

Read: India vs South Africa men's hockey Commonwealth Games 2022 semi-finals: Date, timings and live streaming details

In the penalty shootout, Savita Punia made a splendid save to deny Ambrosia Malone. It was then that all hell broke loose. The technical director had not started the clock, meaning the first penalty shot had to be retaken. The Indians protested, the commentators on air were in disbelief, and so were the fans.

Second time around, Malone converted a re-take to put Australia in the driver's seat. The error seemed to have rattled India as Lalremsiami could not score when India's turn came.

Kaitlin Nobbs then made it 2-0 in favor of Australia while Neha Goyal missed her chance as well, leaving India staring down the barrel. Neha played her shot a little too wide and ended up missing it.

Amy Lawton then made it 3-0 and Navneet Kaur, taking a do-or-die shot, failed to score as the Indian team failed to get a spot in the final.

Social media went into a tizzy after following the breakdown of the official machinery during Malone's attempt. The angry voice on the social media platform included the former coach of the Indian women's team Sjoerd Marijne, who shared his disbelief.

Here are the reactions from Marijne and other Indian sports fans after the India vs Australia match:

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India vs Australia: Tough to take, says Indian captain Savita

After the contentious ending of the India vs Australia semi-final, the captain of the Indian team Savita said the loss was a tough pill to swallow. In a chat with the official broadcasters after the match, Savita said it was tough to make a comeback after the refereeing howler of the clock not starting.

"It is tough to take, especially after what had happened in the first stroke of the shootout. The Australian team is among the top teams and we trailed and then made it 1-1 and fought till the last minute. We decided before the match that we would fight till the very end and we did just that."

The Indian captain added that it would be difficult to motivate the team for the bronze medal match, but its her responsibility to do that.

"It will be difficult to motivate them. We have worked hard and we should now know that the bronze medal match is very important for us. As a captain, it is my duty to motivate them."

Indian women's team head coach Janneke Schopman concurred with Savita and said:

"I just don't understand. Australia weren’t complainining. I don’t think even the officials understood what happened. It is not an excuse, but that didn’t help us for sure."

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