Another setback! Indian men's hockey team suffers fifth straight defeat in FIH Pro League
India's Sumit, left, fights for the ball with Australia's Tim Brand during the FIH Hockey Pro League game between Australia and India at the Wilrijkse Plein in Antwerp, Belgium. (AP Photo)
The Indian men's hockey team suffered their fifth consecutive defeat in the FIH Pro League on Saturday, losing 3-2 to Australia in a match where they initially led by two goals through Abhishek's impressive performance.
The defeat adds to their previous losses against Netherlands and Argentina in the tournament.
India started strongly and dominated the first two quarters, with Abhishek scoring in the 8th and 35th minutes to give his team a 2-0 lead. The Indians showed great intent and motivation despite missing their captain and ace dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh, who was resting due to an injury from the previous match against Argentina.
The Kookaburras mounted a strong comeback after halftime, with Nathan Ephraums scoring in the 42nd minute. Joel Rintala and Tom Craig then converted crucial penalty corners in the 56th and 60th minutes respectively to secure the win for Australia.
India's early dominance was evident when Abhishek flicked from the top of the circle after receiving a pass from
Manpreet Singh
for the opening goal. Goalkeeper Suraj Karkera made several important saves, including denying Australia from a penalty corner in the 11th minute and stopping Joel Rintala from close range in the 19th minute.
The second goal came after the break when Sukhjeet Singh dispossessed an Australian player and passed to Abhishek, who executed a reverse hit into the goal. However, Australia's response was swift, with Ephraums scoring off a rebound after Karkera saved Tom Craig's reverse hit.
India had opportunities to extend their lead, including back-to-back penalty corners in the 48th minute, but failed to convert. The Australians intensified their attack in the final ten minutes, earning four consecutive penalty corners.
Rintala successfully converted one of these penalty corners to level the score. In a dramatic finish, with just 42 seconds remaining, Australia earned another penalty corner, which Craig converted through a deflection off Jeremy Hayward's flick to complete their comeback victory.
The loss continues India's difficult run in the tournament, having previously lost twice each to Netherlands and Argentina in their European leg matches. Despite showing improved performance and taking a commanding lead, they were unable to prevent Australia from staging a successful comeback in the second half.
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