India’s Men’s hockey team secured a thrilling 5-3 victory over Germany in the second game of a two-match series. The visitors, who are the current world champions, however, took the series honours with a 3-1 win in the decisive shootout.
In regulation time, India’s Sukhjeet Singh (34′, 48′), Harmanpreet Singh (42′, 43′), and Abhishek (45′) all found the back of the net, while Elian Mazkour (7′, 57′) and Henrik Mertgens (60′) managed to score for the visitors. Although India began the match on the front foot, earning a penalty corner in the fourth minute, it was Germany who struck first with a swift counter-attack three minutes later. Abhishek’s earlier attempt to penetrate the German defence was unsuccessful, which led to the opening goal for the visitors.
Germany, having won the first match 2-0, continued to press but missed out on converting a penalty corner in the 12th minute. India’s own attempts at a penalty corner in the 14th minute were thwarted by a brilliant save from German goalkeeper Jean Danneberg. The second quarter saw India intensify their search for an equaliser, with Vishnu Kant and Shamsher pressuring the German defence, but they couldn’t break through.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, India made a tactical shift in the third quarter. Shilanand Lakra set up Sukhjeet Singh, who deflected it backhanded into the goal to equalise. This goal sparked a resurgence, with Harmanpreet Singh netting back-to-back penalty corner strikes in the 42nd and 43rd minutes to give India a 3-1 advantage.
Abhishek added another field goal in the 45th minute, and Sukhjeet extended India’s lead to 5-1 in the 48th minute after a solo run. Germany responded with Mazkour’s second goal and Mertgens’ strike in the final minute to force the match into a shootout.
Despite India’s strong performance, Germany held their nerve in the shootout, winning 3-1 and securing the series. Post-match, Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh expressed pride in his team’s efforts, stating, “We analyzed our opponents carefully after yesterday’s game and minimized errors to bounce back. Though we couldn’t win the series, I’m proud of our performance today.”