Indian men’s hockey team lost 2-3 against Germany in the third match of the London leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League here on Saturday.
For India, skipper Harmanpreet Singh (19th minute) and Sukhjeet Singh (48th) scored the goals, while Germany’s goal-getters were Gonzalo Peillat (2nd, 33rd) and Christopher Ruhr (10th) in the contest played at the Lee Valley Hockey Stadium.
Germany was quick to get off the blocks and put India on the back foot. The reigning world champions earned a penalty corner early in the first quarter, which was converted by Peillat to put his side in the lead.
India started pressing deep inside Germany’s circle with Hardik Singh and Gurjant Singh combining well to put pressure on the opposition’s defence.
However, Germany doubled their lead as Ruhr found the back of the net in the 10th minute. The first quarter ended with Germany leading 2-0.
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India started the second quarter well, matching toe to toe in the early exchanges and earned a penalty corner within the first four minutes.
Skipper Harmanpreet found the back of the net to bring India back into the game.
However, repeated attacks and constant pressure on the German defence notwithstanding, India was unable to cover the deficit going into half-time.
India started the game aggressively after halftime, but the German defence continued to hold the fort.
The third quarter saw plenty of action on both ends, but Germany extended their lead as Peillat was again on the scoresheet, successfully converting another penalty corner. At the end of the third quarter, Germany led India by 3-1.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, India started showcasing urgency and pulled one more back with Sukhjeet putting the ball in the net from close range. India made threatening runs inside the circle, but the German defenders held their nerves till the final whistle to carve out the win.
India will next take on hosts Great Britain on Sunday.
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