Indian men's hockey team endured a heartbreaking defeat against Germany despite winning the second match of the series on Thursday. India won the second match by 5-3 but lost the two-match series in a penalty shootout in Delhi.
A dramatic end to what was a fantastic game of hockey but Germany walked away with the series win, which was eventually decided through a shootout. Germany won the series opener 2-0 but India followed up with a magnificent show to take the second game 5-3. However, since the series was drawn, it was decided via a penalty shootout and Germany won 3-1 in the end to end a short trip on a high.
It was a much better performance from captain Harmanpreet Singh himself and his side as a whole following a fantastic comeback in the third quarter. India were trailing 0-1 at the half time before a string of goals - as many as four in a span of 11 minutes - meant that India made a sizeable distance between them and Germany. The Honamas did score a couple of goals in the final quarter but India eventually won the game 5-3, leading to a shootout to decide the series.
The world no.2 Germany secured a silver medal at the recent Paris Olympics 2024 where they defeated India in the semi-final round. Germany were always the favourites in the two-match series but India pulled off an impressive display in the second match to prove their worth.
Germany registered an easy 0-2 win in the opening match at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Wednesday and were leading 1-0 at the half time in the series decider. Craig Fulton's men then showed the fighting spirit with four goals in the second half to stun the in-form German side.
