Daijiworld Media Network - Rotterdam
Rotterdam, Jun 19: The Indian men's hockey team produced a spirited performance against reigning world champions Germany but suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat after conceding two late goals in their third match of the FIH Pro League 2025-26 Rotterdam leg on Friday (IST).
Defender Jugraj Singh celebrated his 100th international appearance with a goal, but strikes from Justus Weigand in the 56th minute and Jakob Brilla in the final moments of the match helped Germany stage a dramatic comeback.
India began the contest brightly, dominating possession and dictating the pace of play. Their organised defensive setup prevented Germany from finding space and limited the world champions to very few meaningful opportunities in the opening quarter.
The Indian side increased the intensity in the second quarter by pressing aggressively, forcing Germany into several mistakes. Forward Abhishek created India's best chance of the first half after a well-constructed attacking move, but the opportunity could not be converted.
In a closely fought encounter with limited scoring chances, India eventually broke the deadlock in the third quarter. After securing their first penalty corner of the match, Jugraj Singh delivered a powerful drag-flick in the 38th minute to put India ahead and mark his milestone appearance in memorable fashion.
Germany attempted to respond late in the third period and earned a couple of penalty corners, but goalkeeper Mohith HS produced crucial saves to preserve India's slender advantage heading into the final quarter.
India had chances to extend their lead, including additional penalty corners and an open-play opportunity for Shilanand Lakra, but they were unable to capitalise.
Germany mounted a strong comeback in the closing stages and levelled the score in the 56th minute when Justus Weigand converted a penalty corner.
With only seconds remaining, Germany won another penalty corner, and Jakob Brilla made no mistake, scoring the decisive goal in the 60th minute to complete a dramatic 2-1 turnaround.
Despite the defeat, India delivered an encouraging performance against one of the world's strongest teams and will now shift focus to their upcoming clash against the Netherlands on Sunday.