ADVERTISEMENTs
Hockey: Germany wins 2-0 to take 1-0 lead in bilateral series against India
Germany started aggressively making forays into India’s circle early in the game. Henrik Mertgens and Lukas Windfeder score for Germany.
Stock image. / Pexels
Playing to a packed iconic Major Dhyan Chand National Hockey Stadium in the union capital, India muffed a penalty stroke to go down fighting 0-2 to the defending World Cup and Olympic silver medalists Germany in the first of two Test matches of the PFC Bilateral series.
India capped young Rajinder Singh in a game that saw the heroics of the German goalkeeper Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji. The German goalie not only thwarted a penalty stroke flick by Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh but also executed some brilliant saves, both penalty corners and run of play to carry the day for the visiting team.
Henrik Mertgens (4’) and Lukas Windfeder (30’) were the scorers for Germany.
Germany started aggressively making forays into India’s circle early in the game. As a result of these offensives, Henrik Mertgens pounced on a stray ball in the shooting circle to beat Krishan Pathak and score the first goal of the game for Germany in the fourth minute.
With India struggling to find a foothold in the game, Germany looked to double its lead and pegged India back to its half. Halfway through the quarter, India began moving the ball around with pace to bypass the German high press and went on to earn a penalty corner but Varun Kumar failed to equalise. However, Germany wrested back control of the ball and ended the quarter 1-0 in its favour.
The second quarter saw India put Germany on the back foot in search of an equaliser. The pressure resulted in three penalty corners for India but Sanjay, Amit and Harmanpreet failed to capitalise on the opportunities. With three minutes left in the quarter, India was awarded a penalty stroke but German goalkeeper Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji battered away Harmanpreet’s shot to maintain its lead in the game.
Germany initiated a counterattack in the last minute of the half and earned a penalty corner in the 30th minute. Lukas Windfeder stepped up and found the gap between goalkeeper Suraj Karkera and postman Jarmanpreet Singh to double Germany’s lead heading into the second half.
India attempted to switch up the intensity in the third quarter but Germany matched it and ensured there was no clear goalscoring chance created for most of the quarter. At the five-minute mark, India earned another penalty corner but Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji remained alert in goal to save Harmanpreet's flick.
Germany reacted quickly to rush up the pitch and earn a penalty corner. Goalkeeper Krishan Pathak deflected Benedikt Schwarzhaupt ‘s shot up and over. India initiated a counterattack with Germany’s defence unsettled but Harmanpreet’s reverse shot only found the side netting.
Germany looked to increase its lead as the last quarter began but Amit Rohidas was on hand to avert any danger. On the other hand, India continued to rotate possession patiently in search of its first goal but could not create goalscoring opportunities and the match ended 2-0 in Germany’s favour.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login