Bilateral Hockey Series: India beat Germany 5-3, but lose series in a shootout

New Delhi: The Indian men’s hockey team defeated Germany 5-3 in regulation time but lost the bilateral test series to the reigning world champions after coming short in the shootout. Germans triumphed 3-1 in the shootout to bag the series. In the regulation time in the second test match, Sukhjeet Singh (34′, 48′) and Harmanpreet Singh (42′, 43′) scored a brace each while Abhishek (45′) contributed one goal to India’s tally. Elian Mazkour (7′, 57′) and Henrik Mertgens (60′) were successful for Germany. Though India began the match with a penalty corner in the fourth minute, it was Germany who drew the first blood following a quickfire counter-attack launched in the 7th minute. Abhishek had made a circle entry from the left flank, but his shot on goal was unsuccessful. The Germans took this opportunity to strike. The reigning world champions entered the match riding on a 2-0 win in the first match and bagged another opportunity to score in the 12th minute through a PC, but failed to convert. Though India had an opportunity to score in the 14th minute through a PC too, Danneberg made a fine save. In the second quarter, Vishnu Kant and Shamsher played tag-team to trouble the German defence but couldn’t find an equaliser. In the following minutes, both India and Germany won PCs but neither could convert. While India hunted for a goal in this quarter, the German defence stayed resolute, particularly in PC defence. With the scoreline reading 1-0 at half-time, India had to align their attack and come up with an improvised tactic to score. And that’s exactly what they did in the third quarter. Shilanand Lakra’s backhand pass to Sukhjeet inside the circle was brilliantly deflected to equalise. This first goal by India gave them the momentum they were looking for and pumped two more goals in this quarter. It was Harmanpreet Singh who found success in PC when he struck back-to-back in the 42nd and 43rd minute to help India take a strong 3-1 lead. India ended the third quarter with another goal. This time it was Abhishek who scored a fine field goal. In the 48th minute, India extended their lead to 5-1 when a counter-attack saw Sukhjeet make a solo run with no defenders near him, as he pushed the ball past Danneberg. The thrilling action continued with Mazkour scoring his second goal. Germany ended up scoring their third goal in the 60th minute through Henrik Mertgens, taking the match into a shootout. “We analysed our opponents carefully after yesterday’s game and tried to minimise errors to bounce back today. I am proud of the way the team played today. We found success in field goals and PC attack but unfortunately couldn’t win the Series,” expressed India skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who was also awarded the Player of the Match award. –IANS