India go down fighting against Germany in FIH Pro League clash
Rotterdam, June 19
The Indian men's hockey team put up a strong fight against reigning world champions Germany but narrowly went down 1-2 in their third match of the FIH Pro League 2025-26 Rotterdam leg on Friday.
Jugraj Singh (38') marked his 100th international appearance with a goal, before late strikes from Justus Weigand (56') and Jakob Brilla (60') turned the game in Germany's favour.
India started the game on the front foot, controlling possession and building early momentum to keep Germany under pressure. With a compact defensive structure, India denied the World Champions space and restricted them from creating clear-cut chances.
The Indian side raised the intensity in the second quarter with an aggressive high press, forcing errors from Germany. Abhishek created India's best chance of the first half after a well-worked build-up, but the opportunity went unfinished.
In a tightly contested match where chances were limited, India continued to dominate possession and were rewarded in the third quarter. After earning their first penalty corner of the game, India took the lead through Jugraj Singh, who marked his milestone 100th appearance with a powerful drag-flick in the 38th minute.
Germany earned a couple of penalty corners towards the end of the third quarter, but goalkeeper Mohith HS stood firm to ensure India carried their one-goal advantage into the final period.
India had opportunities to extend their lead in the final quarter, with penalty corners and an open-play chance for Shilanand Lakra. However, Germany fought back and found the equaliser in the 56th minute through Justus Weigand, who converted a penalty corner to make it 1-1.
With just seconds remaining on the clock, Germany earned another penalty corner and Jakob Brilla found the winning goal in the 60th minute to seal a 2-1 victory for the world champions.
India will take on the Netherlands in their next match on Sunday.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Close call! India dominated large parts of the game, especially that high press in the second quarter. Germany showed their champion mentality in the last five minutes though. Mohith HS was brilliant in goal again. Onwards to Netherlands! 🏑
Heartbreaking to concede in the 60th minute! 😔 But let's be honest – we need to work on our penalty corner conversion in crunch situations. Too many opportunities went begging in the final quarter. Still, fighting spirit is commendable. Proud moment for Jugraj! #Hockey
Impressive display from India against the world champions. They dominated possession and defensively were superb for 55 minutes. Just a lapse in concentration at the end cost them. Good learning for the team – these tight matches build character for bigger tournaments.
Honestly, we played better than Germany for most of the match! Abhishek and Shilanand created chances but finishing let us down again. Mohith HS was incredible – saved us multiple times. Credit to the coaching staff, our structure is really solid now. Netherlands will be another test! 🏑🔥
Such a close game! India really pushed Germany to the limit. That last penalty corner in the 60th minute was heart-stopping. I'm impressed with how India controlled the midfield. A few more matches like this and they'll start converting those draws into wins!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.