India returned to winning ways in the Hockey Pro League with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Germany on Wednesday, courtesy of an early goal from Gurjant Singh. The win came as a much-needed boost for the home side after their disappointing 1-4 loss to the Germans just a day earlier.
India’s captain Harmanpreet Singh, who had missed the previous matches due to injury, returned with a heavily strapped left hand. His presence seemed to lift the team’s spirits as they opened the scoring just four minutes into the game. Gurjant Singh finished off a well-orchestrated move initiated by Rajinder Singh and assisted by Mandeep Singh to give India an early advantage.
Germany, however, were quick to respond, with Thies Prinz and Florian Sperling testing Indian goalkeeper Krishan Pathak in the seventh minute. Sperling’s final shot narrowly missed the target, sailing just over the crossbar.
The visitors earned their first penalty corner in the 14th minute through Teo Hinrichs, but Gonzalo Peillat’s drag flick failed to find the mark. India, too, had their share of missed opportunities, with Shilanand Lakra’s strike in the 22nd minute being expertly saved by German goalkeeper Alexander Stadler.
India earned back-to-back penalty corners towards the end of the first half, but Harmanpreet Singh’s flicks were off target, reflecting his rustiness after the injury layoff. The second half saw intense end-to-end action, with both sides creating chances but failing to convert.
Germany thought they had equalized in the 57th minute when Moritz Ludwig found the net off a penalty corner rebound. However, the video umpire ruled the goal out, deeming the ball dangerous—a decision that drew furious protests from the German camp.
India’s defense, led by Krishan Pathak and Suraj Karkera, stood tall in the final minutes, denying Germany any chance of a comeback. Harmanpreet’s counterpart, Gonzalo Peillat, also struggled to make an impact, as his drag flicks were consistently thwarted by the Indian defense.
With the win, India now has six points from four matches, with two wins and two losses. Despite some inconsistency in the tournament, the team has shown resilience, bouncing back from a shock 1-3 defeat to Spain with back-to-back victories against Spain and Germany.
India will next face Ireland and England in their upcoming Hockey Pro League fixtures, aiming to build on this momentum and climb further up the standings.
