Bhubaneswar, Feb 18 (NationPress) The current World Champions Germany outperformed India with a score of 4-1 in a thrilling match during the Men's FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 at the renowned Kalinga Hockey Stadium on Tuesday. Goals from Florian Sperling (7'), Thies Prinz (14'), Michel Struthoff (48'), and Raphael Hartkopf (55') ensured Germany secured the three points, while Gurjant Singh (13') netted the only goal for India.

With a strong rivalry between the two teams, the match was expected to be intense from the start, showcasing a captivating style of hockey. Although India seemed to have better ball control in the initial five minutes of the first quarter, a tactical assault by the Germans resulted in a field goal at the 7-minute mark. An excellent assist from Eric Kleinlein set up Florian Sperling, who finished with precision.

India quickly responded, with Rajinder Singh—often likened to former captain Sardar Singh for his skillful play—delivering a superb cross-pass to Gurjant Singh, allowing India to equalize in the 13th minute.

The thrilling first quarter continued as Germany extended their lead to 2-1 in the 14th minute with a goal from Thies Prinz, which occurred after Manpreet Singh was hit while defending. India displayed a fierce offensive as the second quarter began, with young forwards showing resilience against the strong German defense.

Early in the quarter, they nearly equalized when Nilakanta Sharma made a great pass to Abhishek inside the circle, but he failed to control it. Another significant opportunity arose in the 20th minute when Gurjant attempted to deflect a pass from Rajinder but missed.

Suraj Karkera, who took over for Krishan Pathak in the second quarter, made an impressive save following an ill-timed aerial ball in the 28th minute. The next minute, Dilpreet attempted an unconventional shot on goal but did not succeed.

The match remained exhilarating in the third quarter, with India getting a great chance to score in the 38th minute when they earned a penalty corner. Jugraj Singh took the flick in the absence of skipper Harmanpreet Singh, but his execution fell short. However, India defended well in the following minutes with three defenders marking the ball carrier. Unfortunately, they conceded a critical goal in the 50th minute, scored by Michel Struthoff.

With a 3-1 lead, pressure mounted on India. A penalty corner taken by Gonzalo Peillat was skillfully blocked by Amit Rohidas, but the rebound was swiftly converted by Struthoff. Despite India's desperate attempts to score in the final minutes, they ended up conceding a fourth goal by Raphael Hartkopf, concluding the match with a 4-1 defeat.