Bhubaneswar: Goalkeeper P R Sreejesh’s magnificent effort went in vain as Olympic champions Germany scored a late goal to beat hosts India in their opening Pool B match of the Hero Champions Trophy at a packed Kalinga Stadium, here on Saturday.
If not for Sreejesh, the margin of defeat for India could have been higher as the Kerala custodian made innumerable number of saves to keep India in the match.
But an error of judgment in the final minute of the game cost Sreejesh and India, a point, as Florian Fuchs was quick to pounce on the opportunity and score the winner.
Sreejesh rushed to tackle an onrushing Fuchs but he mistimed his jump and then the German striker kept his cool and turned the ball around Sreejesh before putting it into the net with a reverse hit just 34 seconds from the final hooter.
It was tipped as the most high-profile match of the evening but it was the Germans, who dominated the proceedings and created chances galore.
The Indians played well in patches but it was their defence, which felt the heat of continuous raids from the Germans, who had the better share of chances in the first quarter.
The reigning Olympic champions earned two quick penalty corners inside the opening 10 minutes, the second of which resulted in a penalty stroke for the Germans as the umpire thought the flick struck on rushing S K Uthappa’s hand. The Indians immediately objected and went for the referral which they won.
In the final minute of the opening quarter India got a golden chance to take the lead when they earned their first penalty corner of the match but Gurjinder Singh’s grounded flick was saved by Nicolas Jacobi in the German goal.
India will next play Argentina today, while Germany will be up against the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, World No 2 and World Cup silver medalists the Netherlands outclassed Argentina 3-0 in another Pool B encounter earlier in the day. Sam Ward scored twice on his debut as World No. 5 England stunned five-time reigning champions Australia 3-1, while higher-ranked Belgium defeated Pakistan 2-1 in their Pool A matches on the opening day of the Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament, here on Friday.
Debutant Ward (27th and 56th minutes) scored twice, while Alastair Brogdon (6th) pumped in another to secure a well-deserved win for the England. Australia’s lone goal was scored by Chris Ciriello (54th min).
World No. 1 Australia fielded a relatively young team in the elite eight-nation tournament and it was quite evident from their display that the Kookaburras were going through a transition phase post the iconic coach Ric Charlesworth era.
England, on the other hand, made a bright start and surged ahead in the sixth minute when Brogdon scored from a field effort.
He won possession in the circle and defeated Australia goalie Andrew Charter with a powerful backhand stroke.
The world champions, however, came back stronger in the second quarter and earned a couple of penalty corners but failed to capitalise on the opportunities.
England doubled their lead against the run of play in the 27th minute when debutant Ward, who was called up into the team last Saturday after Harry Martin had to pull out due to an injury, smashed the ball into the empty Kookaburra goal after the ball bounced off the post.
Both the teams matched each other in the third quarter and created chances but the goalkeepers Charter and England’s George Pinner made some good saves.
Trailing by two goals, the Australians, who sported a black arm band in memory of late cricketer Phil Hughes, pressed the accelerator in the last quarter but the English defence stood tall until Chris Ciriello converted a penalty corner in the 54th minute to bring the world champions back into the game.
Soon after, Australia created some promising chances but failed to find the net. Instead it was Ward who scored his second goal from a fast counter-attack four minutes from the hooter to seal the game in England’s favour.
Australia coach Graham Reid rued his team’s missed opportunities and felt that they were slow to get off the blocks in the match.
“Out start was sluggish. We created enough chances to win the game but we ourselves were down in the first quarter. We managed a couple of penalty corners but didn’t convert them,” Reid said.
Belgium started on a bright note and took the lead in 10th minute through Tanguy Cosyns’ field goal. After a goalless second quarter, Pakistan drew level through skipper Muhammad Imran, who converted a penalty stroke with consummate ease in the 36th minute.
But seven minutes later, Belgium restored their lead when Thomas Briels scored another field goal for the Red Lions. (PTI)