Bhubaneswar, Feb 15 (IANS) India’s men’s hockey team started its campaign on a disappointing note as Spain beat it 3-1 in a tough match of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium here on Saturday. While Sukhjeet was the lone scorer for India, Borja Lacalle (28′), Ignacio Cobos (38′), and Bruno Avila (56′) scored for the Spanish side to begin their India leg on a high.
It was India who were eager to get off the blocks with aggressive attacks in the first quarter as they employed high pressure to restrict the Spanish players from making any headway early in the game.
The hosts created plenty of opportunities in the opening quarter with a PC coming their way as early as the third minute of the game. But Jugraj’s flick didn’t make the post and was cleared by Spain’s first rusher. In the 14th minute, India came close to taking the lead when a fine pass by Abhishek was picked up brilliantly by Lalit Upadhyay, who made a brilliant run in. But when he looked up to see if he could make an assist, there was no one inside the circle, forcing him to take the shot anyway, which went wide off-target.
The second quarter saw Suraj Karkera coming in place of Krishan Pathak at the goalpost and he was exceptional in his efforts when he made a fine save in the 18th minute. This goal attempt showed that Spain was ready to build on the momentum and trouble the Indian defence.
They constantly pressed forward and successfully penetrated the circle but Karkera stood strong in the post. For India’s forward line, Abhishek and Sukhjeet remained the cynosure, creating several chances. It was eventually Sukhjeet who fetched India’s opening goal in the 25th minute.
It was a dramatic goal, as Sukhjeet couldn’t trap the assist by Jarmanpreet Singh at first but managed to recover quickly to take a reverse shot on goal. In only the following minute, India won a PC but could make much of the chance to double their lead.
Meanwhile, Spain equalised in the 28th minute through Borja Lacalle. It didn’t help India’s cause when they missed converting from another PC in the 29th minute, ending the second quarter with a 1-1 stalemate. There was plenty of action at the start of the third quarter with Spain keeping Krishan Pathak busy in the goalpost. While they earned a PC, that was saved by Pathak in the 33rd minute, another PC was saved in the 35th minute.
While Spain’s field goal was disallowed in the 37th minute, as the ball touched the feet of a Spanish forward before going into the net, they scored a clean one in the 38th minute through a PC. Though Borja Lacalle’s trap was poor, he kept the ball possession and found Ignacio Cobos who made no mistake in putting the ball in.
The 2-1 lead gave Spain good momentum going into the last quarter. While India’s woes with PC conversion continued, Spain scored a critical goal in the 56th minute that was a game-winner for them.
A rookie mistake by Harmanpreet, as he attempted to take the aerial pass from Spain’s possession, resulted in conceding a PC. Though the Indian side argued the call, the umpire remained adamant. Bruno Avila slotted the ball with a brilliant drag-flick, scoring his maiden international goal.
India would be disappointed with the result but will vie to bounce back on Sunday when they take on Spain in the doubleheader.
–IANS
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