FIH Men’s Pro League 2025–26: India fall 4–2 to Argentina in final Rourkela match

India ended the Rourkela leg of the FIH Men’s Pro League 2025–26 with a 4–2 defeat against Argentina at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium on Sunday. Tadeo Marcucci scored twice for the visitors, while Tomas Domene and Lucio Mendez added a goal each. For India, Aditya Lalage and Sanjay found the net in the final quarter.

Argentina began the match with greater control, dominating possession and creating the better chances in the opening quarter. They came close as early as the third minute when Lucas Martínez struck from inside the circle, only to see the effort bounce off the post. Indian goalkeeper Suraj Karkera was kept busy, pulling off a key save to deny Tomas Domene as Argentina continued to press. The visitors earned several penalty corners in the opening phase but were unable to break the deadlock.

The pressure finally told in the second quarter. Argentina converted a penalty corner in the 18th minute, with Domene slotting the ball past Karkera to give his side the lead. Moments later, they doubled their advantage through Marcucci, who finished powerfully after receiving a precise aerial pass into the circle.

India’s best chance of the half came just before the break, when a quick passing move inside the Argentine circle opened up space for Aditya Lalage. However, the forward rushed his effort, sending it over the bar as the hosts went into halftime trailing by two goals.

India looked sharper after the restart and earned two consecutive penalty corners early in the third quarter, but the Argentine defence held firm and denied Harmanpreet Singh. Argentina soon extended their lead when a strong run down the flank ended with Lucio Mendez finishing calmly to make it 3–0.

The visitors added a fourth goal early in the final quarter, converting their ninth penalty corner of the night. Marcucci reacted quickest to a scramble in front of goal and pushed the ball over the line to complete his brace.

India finally found a breakthrough in the 50th minute. Hardik Singh created the opportunity with a clever free hit, and Lalage was perfectly positioned to deflect the ball into the net. The hosts added another late goal when they were awarded a penalty stroke in the closing minutes. Sanjay stepped up and converted with confidence to reduce the margin to 4–2.

Despite the late fightback, Argentina’s early dominance and efficiency from set pieces proved decisive, as India finished the Rourkela leg with a tough result but valuable lessons ahead of the upcoming fixtures.