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India defeated Germany 5-3 in the second game but lost the Bilateral Series in the shootout.
India beat Germany (PTI)
India beat Germany 5-1 in the second game of their two-match bilateral hockey series at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday. India had gone down 0-2 in the first game on Wednesday. India eventually lost the series 1-3 via shootout.
International hockey returned to India after 10 years and if the fans were left disappointed with a 0-2 drubbing in the first match on Wednesday, they went will a full heart and smiling faces the next when Harmapreet Singh and his men thrashed the Germans in the second game, making Amit Rohidas’ 200th outing memorable in the best possible way.
Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh netted a brace each as Abhishek added the fourth. Elian Mazkour had opened the scoring for Germany in the first quarter itself and added another in the fourth, while Henrik Mertgens scored their third.
Harmanpreet Singh and his boys appeared more light-footed than Wednesday coming into the second and final match of the bilateral series against Germany. The Indian skipper led the charge in penetrating the visitors’ solid defensive wall but their penalty corner woes persisted on the second consecutive day as well. The hosts won as many as six penalty corners in the first half but none of them could be converted. Surprisingly, India failed to trap the push on five occasions.
Meanwhile, Germany’s 23-year-old Elian Mazkour put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute. The visitors maintained their grip over the contest as the first half ended with India trailing 0-1 before they made a superb comeback upon resumption.
The Indians came out charging in the third quarter, showcasing aggression in search of an equalizer. Forward Sukhjeet Singh aced the battle with the Germans in the 34th minute to hand India their first goal in two days to level the score. The party had just begun for India and they were in no mood to stop.
Captain Harmanpreet had missed out a host of penalty corners and a penalty stroke on Wednesday. His frustration finally ended on Thursday as he sounded the board twice and thus raising the decibel levels at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium. He converted back-to-back penalty corners, on the 42nd minute and the 43rd minute, to give India 3-1 lead against the Germans in no time.
The German goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg, had no answers to Harmanpreet’s tracer bullets.
Trailing 0-1 in the first half, the hosts were suddenly on the top of their game with a sensational 4-1 lead. On the 45th minute, Abhishek burst into the scene after Vishnukant made a superb assist. Abhishek took his time, dodged the German skipper Tom Grambusch and smashed the ball past goalkeeper Danneberg to put India far ahead in the game.
