The Indian men’s hockey team went down fighting to hosts Spain in their opening game of the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation international tournament. Spain won the hard-fought contest 2-1 in Barcelona on Tuesday. Spain took an early lead in the first quarter when Pau Cunill (11’) put them in front. Joaquin Menini then increased the lead in the 33rd minute. For India, captain Harmanpreet Singh (59’) netted the goal.
India commenced the match on an aggressive note with high pressing in the first quarter but were unable to take the lead. Meanwhile, hosts Spain began to gain momentum as the first quarter progressed, and it paid off as Pau Cunill (11′) found the back of the net to put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute.
After conceding the early goal, India looked to control possession and launch a counterattack in the second quarter but their quest for an equaliser was thwarted by Spain’s strong defence. There were no goals in the second quarter as Spain went into half-time with a 1-0 lead.
The third quarter began with the Indian team attacking ruthlessly and repeatedly testing Spain’s defence; however, the hosts not only kept India at bay but also doubled their lead through Joaquin Menini (33′), who found himself in an ideal position to deflect in a lighting shot by Jose Basterra.
Relentless pressure but no goals
Trailing by two goals, India shifted gears to put relentless pressure on Spain and even won a penalty corner, but were unable to capitalise on it. Also, Spain’s goalkeeper saved Indian Captain Harmanpreet Singh’s fiery shot from a distance towards the end of the third quarter to make sure that Spain enters the final 15 minutes of the game with the two goals lead.
In their bid to bounce back in the game, India came out all guns blazing in the fourth quarter and created some good scoring opportunities, but they still struggled to find their first goal of the game. Meanwhile, Spain switched to counter-attacking and won back-to-back penalty corners, but were unable to convert any of them.
On the other hand, India continued to put pressure on the home team’s defence, which paid off when Captain Harmanpreet Singh (59′) converted a penalty corner in the dying minutes of the game to keep his team in the game. However, Spain prevented India from scoring another goal, and the game ended 2-1 in favour of the hosts.
Indian Men’s Hockey Team will next take on the Netherlands in their second game of the tournament on Wednesday.
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