NEW DELHI: The Indian men's hockey team overcame some scary moments to defeat Argentina 5-4 in a shootout after a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation time in a FIH Pro League match on Wednesday.
Mandeep Singh (11th minute) and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay scored field goals for India, while Argentina's goals came from penalty corners, converted by Lucas Martinez (20th minute) and Tomas Domene (60th minute).
In the shootout, skipper Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh each scored twice, with Abhishek adding another goal to secure the victory for India.
The match was a keenly contested affair. World No. 6 India dominated the first quarter, but Argentina, ranked just one spot below, outplayed them in the second quarter.
India started positively, with Sanjay getting the first shot on goal in the fifth minute, though his reverse hit was saved by Argentina goalkeeper Tomas Santiago. Six minutes later, Mandeep Singh scored from a field effort assisted by Rajkumar Pal.
In the dying seconds of the first quarter, Argentina came close to scoring, hitting the post and then having a rebound goal by Maico Casella disallowed due to the hooter signalling the end of the quarter.
Interestingly, India’s chief coach Craig Fulton stuck with veteran PR Sreejesh as the goalkeeper, hinting at his likely inclusion in the final Paris Olympics squad.
Argentina gradually built pressure in the second quarter, earning three quick penalty corners. Lucas Martinez converted the third attempt from a rebound after a brilliant save by Sreejesh on Nicolas della Torre's flick.
India had their chances towards the end of the second quarter, securing three back-to-back penalty corners, but skipper Harmanpreet Singh couldn't capitalize.
The second half saw a neck-and-neck battle with both teams managing several circle entries but failing to score. Seconds before the end of the third quarter, India had a golden opportunity through Abhishek, but his reverse hit missed the target. Lalit Kumar Upadhyay then extended India’s lead by scoring from Jarmanpreet Singh's pass.
In a desperate move, Argentina withdrew their goalkeeper for an extra field player, which paid off as they put immense pressure on the Indian defence. This resulted in two penalty corners just before the final hooter, with Tomas Domene converting the second one to take the match into a shootout.
India will face hosts Belgium on Friday in the next match of the European leg of the Pro League.
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