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Germany wins hockey bilateral series against India
Skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who was also named for the Player of the Match award, expressed satisfaction with his team's performance despite losing the series.
*Germany wins the penalty shootout 3-1 to decide the series / Hockey India
A couple of goals each by skipper Harmanpreet Singh and forward Sukhjeet Singh helped the hosts India defeat the defending World Cup champions and Olympic silver medalist Germany 5-3 in the second and final Test of the PFC hockey bilateral series. With this win, India levelled the series 1-1 but lost the penalty shootout 1-3 to decide the rubber.
Germany won the first Test 2-0 to take a 1-0 lead. India was a different team for the second and final match that saw Aditya Arjun making his international debut.
In the regulation time, Sukhjeet Singh (34', 48'), and Harmanpreet Singh (42', 43') scored a double each while Abhishek (45') also added to the tally. For Germany, Elian Mazkour (7', 57') and Henrik Mertgens (60') scored.
Though India began the match with a penalty corner in the fourth minute, Germany drew the first blood following a quickfire counter-attack launched in the seventh minute. Elian Mazkour scored the first of his two goals of the match. Abhishek had made a circle entry from the left flank, but his shot on goal was unsuccessful. The Germans took this opportunity to strike.
The reigning world champions were riding on a 2-0 win from the first match, and won another opportunity to score in the 12th minute through a PC, but failed to convert. Though India had a chance to score in the 14th minute through a penalty corner, Danneberg made a fine save.
In the second quarter, Vishnu Kant and Shamsher played tag-team to trouble the German defence but couldn't find an equaliser. In the following minutes, both India and Germany won PCs but neither could convert. While India hunted for a goal in this quarter, the German defence stayed resolute, particularly in PC defence.
With the score line reading 1-0 at half-time, India had to align its attack and come up with an improvised tactic to score. And that's exactly what they did in the third quarter. Shilanand Lakra's backhand pass to Sukhjeet inside the circle was brilliantly deflected to equalise. This first goal by India gave it the momentum its players were looking for, and pumped two more goals this quarter. It was Harmanpreet Singh who found success in penalty corners when he struck back-to-back in the 42nd and 43rd minute to help India take a strong 3-1 lead.
India ended the third quarter with another goal. This time it was Abhishek who scored a fine field goal. In the 48th minute, India extended its lead to 5-1 when a counterattack saw Sukhjeet make a solo run with no defenders near him, as he pushed the ball past Danneberg.
The thrilling action continued with Mazkour scoring his second goal. Germany ended up scoring their third goal in the 60th minute through Henrik Mertgens, taking the match into a shootout.
"We analysed our opponents carefully after yesterday's game and tried to minimize errors to bounce back today. I am proud of the way the team played today. We found success in field goals and penalty corner attack but unfortunately couldn't win the series," expressed India Skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who was also named for the Player of the Match award.
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