Men's FIH Pro League: India start campaign with loss against Spain

Sukhjeet scored the only for India in their defeat at the FIH Pro League opener.

Spain beat India 3-1 in a tough Men’s FIH Pro League 2024-25 match here at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar 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. 

Though it was the Indian men’s hockey team who were eager to get off the blocks with aggressive attack in the first quarter as they employed high press to restrict the Spanish players from making any headway early in the game. There were plenty of opportunities India created 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 1-0 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 can make an assist, there was no one inside the circle, forcing him to take the shot anyway but went wide off target.

Also Read: Men’s FIH Pro League 2024-25: Schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details

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 attempt on goal showed that Spain was ready to build on the momentum and trouble the Indian defence. They constantly pressed forward and successfully penetrated into the circle, but Karkera stood strong in the post.

For India’s forward line, Abhishek and Sukhjeet remained the cynosure, created a number of 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 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 finds Ignacio Cobos who made no mistake in putting the ball in.

Also Read: Men’s FIH Pro League 2024-25: India’s updated schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details

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 double header. 

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