NEW DELHI: India men’s hockey team returned to the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium after a 10-year gap on Wednesday. 3,930 days to be precise. The green faded pitch made way for the slick blue astroturf. The facilities got a major uplift. The Indian team had changed in the interim, as had the coaching staff. But what didn’t was the outcome from the last meeting between the two teams on the pitch.
Two first-half goals from Henrik Mertgens and Lukas Windfeder ensured Germany, who had beaten India at the Paris Olympics, took the lead in the two-match bilateral series with a 2-0 win.
It turned out to be a day when more streaks ended. This was India men’s team’s first game without scoring in 21 months – 647 days to be precise. Additionally, it was the first game which ended in defeat for India without scoring since August 2022 or 807 days ago.
A sizeable crowd made the most of free tickets for a mid-week game that started at 3pm. They were treated to a flurry of India attacking moves, earning as many as seven penalty corners, but failed to capitalise on any of them.
If the disappointment of chances not being converted wasn’t enough, it came with the knowledge that India did get the ball in the goal only for it to be brought back. In the 26th minute, Dilpreet Singh scooped the ball into the roof of the net only for it to be brought back on referral.
After the video umpire’s intervention, India were awarded a penalty stroke and skipper Harmanpreet Singh stepped up. The usually lethal and reliable drag-flicker had his shot saved by Nnaji Joshua Onyekwue.
The damage had been done early to India’s cause, just as the crowd had started to settle down with many school children in attendance. Mertgens found the space in the India area and made no mistake even as India were starting to settle down themselves.
Similarly, just as they, and the rest of the players, were seemingly readying to go into the half time break, Germany scored with 14 seconds remaining on the clock. The reigning world champions and Paris Olympics silver-medallists earned themselves a penalty corner and Windfeder found the net despite Krishan Bahaur Pathak getting a hand to it.
For the rest of the game, India strived to get an opening. They got close at the start of the second half with the ball going across the face of the goal and that appeared to be the writing on the wall.
Germany, meanwhile, grew into the game late on and had two glorious chances to add to their tally as India pressed on. Twice balls were spread in front of the India goalmouth but no one in a black jersey read the intention as the chances went begging.
Thursday will present India with an opportunity to level the two-match series which comes on the sidelines of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three day visit to India as part of the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC).