Indian junior men’s hockey team loses 1-3 to Spain

India went into the game wary of the minor errors that had denied the side victory in its previous group encounters. The host on the other hand was brimming with confidence thanks to two successive victories.

Published : Jun 13, 2019 23:27 IST , Madrid

Mandeep Mor picked up a yellow card in the 40th minute, leaving India with a man down for the final part of the quarter. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)
Mandeep Mor picked up a yellow card in the 40th minute, leaving India with a man down for the final part of the quarter. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)
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Mandeep Mor picked up a yellow card in the 40th minute, leaving India with a man down for the final part of the quarter. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)

A flurry of goals unsettled the Indian junior men’s hockey team, which lost 1-3 to Spain in a group stage game at the 8-Nations U-21 Invitational tournament on Thursday.

India went into the game wary of the minor errors that had denied the side victory in its previous group encounters. The host on the other hand was brimming with confidence thanks to two successive victories.

India defended hard in the goalless first quarter and dominated possession in the second. But Spain’s dogged defence cut down on any goal-scoring opportunities. The teams went into halftime locked in a goalless stalemate.

READ: FIH Series Finals: We have hope of beating India until the last second, says Japan’s coach

In a lively third quarter, both teams came out attacking from the word go. It was India who struck first, Pratap Lakra converting a penalty corner in the first minute.

Spain hit back soon though, in a four-minute period, with three quick goals. Ignacio Cobos struck the side's first, in the 35th minute with a PC conversion. Cesar Cusier (37’) and Gonzalo Quijano (39’) scored two in quick succession to give them a 3-1 lead.

To compound to India’s troubles, Mandeep Mor picked up a yellow card in the 40th minute, leaving it with a man down for the final part of the quarter. The team defended strongly ensuring that it does not concede more goals.

India will play Austria in a 5-8 classification encounter on Saturday.

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