India Lose 3-2 to Australia in FIH Pro League, Suffer Fifth Straight Defeat

Image Credit: ©FIH Media

India’s men’s hockey team lost 2-3 to Australia in a close FIH Pro League match, despite leading 2-0 at one point. This is India’s fifth straight defeat in the tournament.

India started well, with Abhishek scoring in the 8th minute after beating his defender and the goalkeeper. He scored again in the 35th minute, taking advantage of a mistake by the Australian defence. India were 2-0 up and looked in control.

But Australia fought back strongly in the second half. Nathan Ephraums scored in the 42nd minute after picking up a rebound from the Indian goalkeeper. Then, in the 56th minute, Joel Rintala made it 2-2 with a drag flick. Just before the final whistle, Tom Craig deflected a penalty corner to score the winning goal in the 60th minute.

India’s goalkeeper Suraj Karkera made some great saves throughout the match, but it wasn’t enough in the end. Despite playing well, India once again lost by a single goal — a pattern seen in all five of their recent defeats. They will look to turn things around in the next match.

Image by FIH Media