India Overpowered by Spain in Men's Pro League Hockey Campaign Opener

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Posted by NewAdmin on 2025-02-17 08:56:36 |

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Spain avenged their defeat to India in the bronze-medal match at the Paris Olympics, defeating Harmanpreet Singh's team 3-1 in the opening game of the FIH Men's Pro League in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. India delivered a lackluster performance in their first match of the season, while Spain displayed great determination. After India took the lead in the 25th minute with a goal from Sukhjeet Singh, Spain responded with three goals from Borja Lacalle (28th), Ignacio Cobos (38th), and Bruno Avila (56th).

The first quarter saw both teams assessing each other’s strengths, with only a brief run from Abhishek creating a chance for Lalit Upadhyay, but the Spanish goalkeeper remained largely untested. India’s goalkeeper, Krishan Bahadur, was also not challenged much, with the ball only grazing the far post from outside the striking circle.

In the second quarter, India substituted in goalkeeper Suraj Karkera, who was immediately called into action. He did well to deny Spain an early lead following a solid move from the right.

India broke the deadlock in the 25th minute when Sukhjeet Singh capitalized on a quick run and circle penetration by Jarmanpreet Singh. Jarmanpreet passed the ball to Sukhjeet, who fumbled his first attempt but recovered quickly to score with a powerful reverse-hit past the Spanish goalkeeper.

Spain equalized three minutes later when they opened up the Indian defense with a series of passes inside the circle, allowing Borja Lacalle to tap the ball into the net at the far post.

The third quarter saw Spain take control of the game, with Ignacio Cobos giving them the lead. After a penalty corner was poorly trapped by Borja, he quickly regained possession and passed the ball to Cobos, who scored with ease.

India struggled to find cohesion upfront and lacked a defensive strategy, which led to multiple penalty corner opportunities for Spain in the third and fourth quarters. The Spanish side took full advantage when Harmanpreet Singh mishandled an aerial pass, conceding another penalty corner.

Bruno Avila sealed the win for Spain with his first international goal, firing a powerful drag flick into the net.

Go!