Hobart, February 25: The Indian hockey team faced a tough defeat against Spain in the FIH Men’s Pro League 2025-26, losing 3-4 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
India took the lead in the 59th minute with a goal from Maninder Singh. However, a last-minute equalizer from Bruno Font forced the match into a shootout.
Spain started strong, testing the Indian defense early on. They earned their first penalty corner in the fourth minute, but Indian goalkeeper Mohit made a crucial save. In the eighth minute, Spain thought they had scored, but Jose Bastera’s goal was disallowed.
India earned a penalty corner in the 14th minute, but Amit Rohidas’s drag-flick was stopped by Spanish goalkeeper Luis Calzado, leaving the first quarter scoreless.
In the 19th minute, India found success. Captain Hardik Singh delivered a brilliant pass to Maninder, who scored with a precise tomahawk shot, putting India ahead 1-0. Spain quickly responded with a penalty corner, but Pepe Kunil’s shot was saved by Suraj Karkera.
Karkera made another impressive save shortly after, denying Bastera’s attempt to score. Abhishek nearly doubled India’s lead, but the score remained 1-0 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Spain intensified their pressure on India’s defense, earning two consecutive penalty corners. Mohit excelled, saving both attempts. Towards the end of the quarter, Spain was reduced to ten players after Fortuno received a green card. India almost capitalized on this advantage, but Calzado thwarted Jugraj Singh’s penalty corner strike.
In the final quarter, India faced another challenge when Sanjay received a green card, forcing them to play with ten players. Spain quickly earned a penalty corner, but Karkera stood firm once again. Vishnu Kant Singh won another penalty corner for India in the 52nd minute, but Rohidas failed to convert it into a goal.
As India tried to manage the clock, a costly defensive error in the 59th minute allowed Bruno Font to score a stunning equalizer. Spain won three consecutive penalty corners in the last 13 seconds but failed to break through India’s defense, resulting in a 1-1 tie at the end of regular time.
In the subsequent shootout, misses from Abhishek and Hardik proved costly, leading to India’s 3-4 defeat. The Indian team had to settle for just one point from this hard-fought match. India will face Australia next in the fourth game of the FIH Men’s Pro League 2025-26 on Wednesday.
– Shubham/DKP