Amstelveen: India men's hockey head coach Craig Fulton conceded that critical defensive lapses in the third quarter proved costly after England handed India a 4-2 defeat in their second Hockey World Cup pool match on Monday.

Despite a dominant first half that saw India notch two second-quarter goals, the team struggled to maintain its defensive posture after the break.

"The first half was good. We got PCs on the counter-attack and came back nicely with a bit more control. In the third quarter our defence was not as good as it was supposed to be," Fulton said following the contest.

"England played like a world number three team. We created a few chances but couldn't convert those."

Looking ahead to Wednesday's high-stakes pool finale against arch-rivals Pakistan, Fulton emphasized the need for rapid regrouping and tactical discipline.

"If we had won today, we still have to do the business in the next game. We just have to be better on the ball in the final match and show a bit of composure. We needed to press out and put some pressure on them," Fulton noted.

"The forward line played well but we needed to score three-plus goals and we could only score two. It's just the second match and we will learn from this loss. We have another big opportunity against Pakistan and the boys are motivated for that."

Veteran midfielder Manpreet Singh echoed the head coach's sentiments, pointing to late defensive breakdowns while highlighting the imperative of maintaining discipline against Pakistan's penalty corner battery.

"We were playing so well till the third quarter but there were a few defensive lapses in the last quarter which cost us. Overall, the performance was good but the defence has to be very strong against the top teams and we need to convert our chances also," Manpreet stated.

Addressing India's set-piece execution after England neutralized their varied routines, Manpreet stressed defensive caution for their upcoming clash.

"We were trying variations on PCs but they defended well. We cannot underestimate any team. Pakistan also have good penalty corner specialists, so we must not concede PCs against them. We have to earn more PCs in the upcoming matches," he said.

Maintaining confidence in India's overall strategic framework, Manpreet reiterated that the team remained competitive throughout the 60 minutes.

"Our defenders broke their full press many times. It's a long tournament and we will learn from the mistakes. You cannot play with the same momentum for the whole 60 minutes, but we are creating opportunities till the last minute. There is a structure of playing and we follow that," Manpreet added. (PTI)