ANTWERP, May 22: The Indian men’s hockey team survived some anxious moments before defeating Argentina 5-4 in shootout after both teams were locked at 2-2 at the end of regulation time in a FIH Pro League match here on Wednesday.
Mandeep Singh (11th minute) and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay scored two field goals for India, while Argentina found the net from penalty corners through Lucas Martinez (20th) and Tomas Domene (60th). In the shootout, skipper Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh scored twice each with Abhishek being the other scorer.
The Indian men’s team will take on hosts Belgium on Friday in the European leg of the Pro League.
WOMEN LOSE 0-5
India suffered a humiliating 0-5 defeat to Argentina to begin their European leg of the FIH Women’s Pro League campaign on a disappointing note here on Wednesday.
Julieta Jankunas (53rd, 59th minutes) struck a brace, while Agustina Gorzelany (13th), Valentina Raposo (24th) and Victoria Miranda (41st) were the other goal getters for the Argentines.
The Indian women, who were playing their first match under new coach Harendra Singh.
In a surprising development, former India captain and veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia was omitted from the Indian team lineup despite being named in the squad as Bichu Devi Kharibam guarded the goalpost. The Indian women will next play hosts Belgium on Thursday. (PTI)
