New Delhi: The Indian men’s hockey team’s homecoming to the national capital was a disappointing one as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Germany in the first of two bilateral matches on Wednesday. The Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, hosting an international game after a decade, witnessed a crowd of nearly 10,000 on a weekday afternoon, eager to witness a competitive clash between two Paris Olympics medal contenders. However, the Indian team’s performance left much to be desired.
The hosts started brightly but ominous signs were evident from the outset. A visible lack of energy and intent plagued the Indian team, while the Germans, with their characteristic efficiency, capitalized on a defensive lapse in the 4th minute. Henrik Mertgens, one of three debutants in the German side, scored the opening goal off a counter-attack.
Germany could have doubled their lead four minutes later, but a penalty corner was overturned after a referral, resulting in a penalty corner for India instead. However, Varun Kumar failed to keep his balance, and Sukhjit hit the rebound wide. Just 14 seconds before halftime, Germany earned their first penalty corner, and captain Lucas Windfeder made no mistake, slotting it past Suraj Karkera to extend the lead to 2-0.
India had ample opportunities but failed to capitalize. Seven penalty corners, a penalty stroke, and several half-chances went begging. Varun, Amit Rohidas, and Sanjay were experimented with during penalty corners, suggesting that coach Craig Fulton is looking to develop a battery of drag-flickers instead of relying solely on Harmanpreet Singh. The captain himself had an off day. A penalty stroke, awarded after Germany appealed against Dilpreet Singh’s opportunistic tap-in in the 27th minute, saw Harmanpreet’s weak push saved by Joshua Nnaji Onyekwue, despite the German Junior World Cup winner diving to the wrong side.
Onyekwue was impressive throughout, making several saves to keep the Indian attack at bay. The second half followed a similar pattern, with Germany maintaining their defensive dominance and preventing India from scoring.
