The Indian women’s hockey team faced a challenging day on the field, suffering a 0-3 defeat against Argentina in the Belgium leg of the FIH Pro League. The match, held in Antwerp, marked another setback for the team, which had previously lost 1-2 to Belgium.
FIH Pro League: Argentina’s dominance against India
Argentina took an early lead in the first minute when Celina Di Santo deflected Maria Granatto’s shot, breaking through India’s high press. Despite India struggling to play out of their half, Argentina failed to extend their lead from a penalty corner eight minutes into the game.
India began to find their footing, stringing together passes and forcing Argentine goalkeeper Clara Barberi into action when Udita’s drive found Lalremsiami, who missed a close-range chance. However, Argentina regained control in the second quarter, earning several penalty corners.
Despite the pressure, the Indian defence, led by Bichu Devi Kharibam and Salima Tete, held firm, keeping the score 0-1 at half-time. Early in the third quarter, India earned a penalty corner but failed to capitalize.
Argentina doubled their lead in the 39th minute when Maria Campoy bulldozed into the circle and scored past Savita Punia. India had a chance to score at the end of the quarter, but Navneet Kaur’s tomahawk was saved by Barberi.
In the final quarter, Argentina increased their lead when Maria Granatto redirected Agustina Gorzelany’s flick into the goal. Despite Argentina’s intensified attacks, a resilient Indian defence prevented further goals.
Tough result today. We gave it our all. We'll learn from this and come back stronger.
Argentina 🇦🇷 3 – 0 India 🇮🇳
di Santo Celina 1'
Campot Maria 39'
Granatto Maria (PC) 47#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #FIHProLeague #IndianWomensTeam
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.@CMO_Odisha @FIH_Hockey @IndiaSports… pic.twitter.com/kNqopfznlw— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) May 26, 2024
The Indian women’s hockey team will now face Germany in their next match in London on June 1. The European leg of the FIH Pro League matches has been tough on both Indian teams with the men having one loss and two draws from their three matches so far and the women having lost all their three matches.
This defeat marks a continuation of the Indian women’s team’s winless streak in the Belgium leg of the FIH Pro League. Despite the loss, the team showed moments of promise, and they will be looking to learn from this experience and come back stronger in their upcoming matches.
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