The Indian men’s hockey team put up a resilient performance to beat reigning world champions Germany, albeit not on full strength, 3-0 in the FIH Pro League at the Lee Valley Hockey Stadium in London on Saturday.
Goals by Harmanpreet Singh (16th), Sukhjeet Singh (41st) and Gurjant Singh (44th) helped India begin their final leg of the nine-team league in the right stead.
There was plenty of action in the opening quarter with the teams evenly matched. While Sukhjeet and Mandeep Singh stood tall in the forward line, creating some excellent chances, India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was put through a testing time with the Germans winning a flurry of penalty corners (PC) in the opening minutes.
But Sreejesh proved why he remains the cynosure of India’s defence. The save he made off the legendary Gonzalo Peillat’s powerful flick, putting his right hand up high, was particularly a joyous moment for India fans.
India made the first breakthrough in the second quarter thanks to skipper Harmanpreet, who was on target, aiming to the left of German keeper Alexander Stadler off the first PC.
The pace of the game dropped thereon with neither scoring from the chances created. Though Germany won a PC, Peillat was again kept at bay by Sreejesh.
India dominated with improvised ball possession and a pacy attack in the third quarter which resulted in a goal for Sukhjeet, who received the ball from the left flank after Abhishek had single-handedly dribbled past German defenders using 3D skills. Three minutes later, Gurjant scored India’s third after a superb assist by Jarmanpreet Singh.
The young German side hunted for an elusive goal but India’s defence stood tall in the final quarter. With the win, Harmanpreet and Co gained three points to remain third on the points table, behind Netherlands and Argentina. They will next play hosts Great Britain on Sunday.
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