Indian junior men’s hockey team loses 2-3 to hosts Germany

DusseldorfSudeep Chirmako struck twice but it was not enough to guide the Indian junior men’s hockey team to victory against Germany in the four-nation tournament. Hosts Germany won the match 3–2 with goals from Michel Struthoff (41st minute), Ben Hasbach (53rd minute), and Florian Spilling (55th minute). Chirmako scored for India in the 7th and 60th minutes.

The Indian team entered the match on a high after their 6-2 win over Spain. The team took an early lead in the seventh minute through Chirmako’s goal. Germany tried their best to equalize but India managed to hold on to their lead in the first quarter. Germany upped the tempo in the second quarter and the Indian defense gave a befitting reply. Meanwhile, the Indian team also launched counter-attacks but the defense of the opponent team was excellent.

At the time of the interval, the Indian team was able to maintain its lead. At the start of the second half, Germany went all out to get their first goal of the match but India were able to defend well. Struthoff made it 1-1 in the 41st minute after finding a gap in the Indian defense to head the ball past the goal post. The last 15 minutes of the match saw both teams increasing the tempo of the game to take the lead.

Meanwhile, Germany took advantage of the weakness of the Indian defense by scoring two goals in two minutes to take a 3-1 lead. Hasbach gave the team the lead in the 53rd minute, while Spilling widened the gap. Chirmako scored his second goal in the dying moments of the match, but it was not enough to save the team from defeat. The Indian team will face England in their next match on Monday.